Author’s Style: Irony in King Midas Myth
Content Area: English Grade Level: 7 SOL # 7.5
SOL (Learning Goal):
7.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fiction, narrative
nonfiction, and poetry.
a) Describe setting, character development, plot structure, theme, and conflict.
c) Describe the impact of word choice, imagery, and poetic devices.
Suggested Time Frame: One 48 minute class period
Essential Knowledge, Skills, or Questions:
Students are expected to
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understand the elements of story, including
setting time, place, and duration
character(s)
external conflicts,
internal conflict
plot
development of the central conflict, including
o initiating event
o rising action
o climax
o falling action
o resolution
o theme
understand an author’s choice and use of literary devices, including irony – the
contrast between expectation and reality; between what is said and what is meant;
between what appears to be true and what really is true
Big Idea:What ideas, concepts, or principles are essential for deep understanding?
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How does an author communicate to the reader?
What effect do literary devices have in a piece of writing?
Assessment Options (Formative and/or Summative):How will I know each student
understood and met the purpose of the lesson? What evidence will I collect?
Student will be able to describe and identify and explain verbal irony, situational irony
and dramatic irony.
Student will draw an ironic picture.
Materials:
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Link to handout on types of irony: Definitions of irony
Link to list of stories with an ironic twist: Ironic Stories
Cartoon sequence story summary for King Midas: Cartoon Sequence
Holt graphic organizer about Myth: Myth organizer
Discovering irony, a graphic organizer Irony Organizer
Pictures of Irony Handout : Irony Handout
Holt Text King Midas and the Golden Touch p. 682
Homework Options: What follow-up and/or homework will I assign? How will this reinforce the
purpose/content of the lesson?
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Students may finish their ironic picture at home.
For advanced students: Ask them to read O. Henry’s
“After Twenty Years” in Holt testbook and explain the use of irony.
For advanced students: Ask them to read the narrative poem “The Highwayman”
in the Holt textbook and explain an example of dramatic irony.
For enrichment: Student read a story from the list on the handout of ironic twists
and explain the irony.
Link to list of stories with an ironic twist: Ironic Stories
Instructional Delivery:
LESSON
COMPONENTS
Anticipatory Set
(may include a preassessment)
How will I introduce the
lesson?
How will I know what
background knowledge
each student brings to
the lesson?
How will I focus
attention, tap prior
knowledge, spark
curiosity, build on
current events, connect
to personal experiences
and/or draw on
previously learned
STEPS (input, modeling, practice)
1. Make a list with student answers
with the elements of a myth—
castles, gods, punishment, magic
etc. This will tap prior knowledge.
2. Use handout about myth from
materials section
3. Ask students to complete these
sentences to make them ironic
which is using inductive reasoning.
John is very wealthy but he lives--Jakiah is allergic to shrimp and her
father works--Luke has 10 cars but—
QUESTIONS TO
POSE
What makes irony
humorous?
Can irony be found
in all genres of
writing?
What has been or is
ironic in your life?
content?
Tiki lives on the beach but--Maria drives a Japanese car, but her
husband works for
4. Students discuss with a partner the
handout of pictures of irony.
Learning Activities
What sequence of
activities will I follow to
teach this lesson?
What instructional
strategies will I use?
What will the students do
for guided and
independent practice?
What questions will I use
to promote critical and
creative thinking?
Closure
How will I culminate
what has been
taught/learned?
How will students be
Instructional Strategy:
Cognitive level:
Nonlinguistic Representation
Setting Objectives/Providing Feedback
Generating and Testing Hypotheses
Understanding
Applying
1. Students read silently the myth of
King Midas in the textbook on page
682.
2. Review the story and the plot
outline by putting kids in pairs and
asking them to put together the
cartoon puzzle of the Midas story.
See handout in Materials section
3. After students have completed the
sequence, ask them to identify the
initiating event, the climax and the
resolution.
4. Ask student pairs to explain the
irony of the story of King Midas.
Answer: The irony of this story is
that King Midas thinks that gold
will make him happy, but it makes
him miserable.
Does a myth have
the same elements of
plot as a story?
In what ways in a
story different from
a myth?
Are all myths
ironic?
Which one of the
cartoon frames is the
initiating event, the
climax, the conflict
and the resolution?
Instructional Strategy:
Cognitive level:
Identifying Similarities and Differences
Homework and Practice
Nonlinguistic Representation
Understanding
Evaluating
Analyzing
1. Students share their original ironic
pictures.
2. Students discuss movies and books
that have irony in them.
How are irony and
sarcasm different?
Is irony a
sophisticated type of
prompted to reflect on
what they learned?
humor? When?
How does dramatic
irony add tension or
humor to a play?
How will students check
to see if their
understanding is
correct?
Instructional Strategy:
Cognitive level:
Reinforcing Effort and Providing
Recognition
Setting Objectives/Providing Feedback
Evaluating
Analyzing