Eighth graders explore puns — clever jokes that play on a word’s double meaning or its sound — learning to spot the wordplay and understand why writers from comedians to Shakespeare love them.
Students will be able to…
“I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.” Wait — that word works two ways! Puns are jokes built on wordplay. How do they work, and how do you “get” them?
Project this and tap each idea. Have students learn how puns use double meanings and sound-alikes for clever effect!
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
“I used to be a banker, but I lost interest” — what’s funny here?
Teacher models.
Class uses the Wordplay Explorer.
Students analyze puns.
Students share a pun.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Interpret figures of speech (e.g., verbal irony, puns) in context.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language and word relationships.
Analyze the impact of specific word choices, including analogies and allusions.
Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students hunt for puns in advertisements and newspaper headlines, then explain the wordplay in each. A printable puns sheet is in the ELA library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.