"Almost all children love funny books. It's what helps hook them into the reading habit." -Michael Rosen, U.K. Children's Laureate
Steve Wilson, Director of National Humor Month and President of Laughter Arts & Sciences Foundation Founder of World Laughter Tour, Inc. writes in his e-newsletter about humor and learning. And, about the Funny Literacy Project. Here's more:
from Mary Kay Morrison,
Education Advisor for FUNNY LITERACY:
Think Globally, Laugh Locally
Children grow in significant ways through opportunities to explore their own humor, laughter, and mirth. These topics bring variety and freshness to the classroom and the school culture, promoting eager interest, emotional resilience, and self-confidence.
Humor gets students' attention and increases their retention (Morrison, 2007). Our Certified Laughter Reader (CLR) Literacy Project encourages children to read by introducing them to the naturally attractive phenomena of humor and laughter, capitalizing on the observation that effective teaching techniques must be balanced with humanity and spirit in the form of "a radical performance indicator, namely, laughter" (Johnson, 2005).
The goal of this initiative is to encourage kids to read humorous books and to:
* Explore their sense of humor, laugher and mirth
* Provide follow up activities to reinforce learning
* Embrace a positive sense of humor to increase social and communication skills
* Discuss hurtful versus healthy humor
* Explore humor as a way to maximize learning
Students who complete a prescribed reading activity (e.g., 1 hour per week of funny books, in fifteen minute intervals), plus a follow-up-activity (e.g., tell a joke, write a poem, or draw a picture) receive the designation of Certified Laughter Reader. Pilot programs, reading lists, and age-appropriate resources are described at our website, and actual requirements can be determined locally by educators, librarians, and parents in their local schools and districts. A certificate of completion is available for children who meet the Certified Laughter Reader requirements.
Classroom Activities
The following ideas can be adapted to appropriate grade levels and school situations. There are many more listed at our website.
* Create a Jest Joking corner in your classroom. Stock with joke books, jester hats, and clown noses.
* Institute a Joke of the Day: Each day a different student gets to share a joke, funny story, or riddle with the class.
* Add riddles to assessments. Upper elementary students can make up their own riddles linked to the lesson plan. Use these riddles as part of the tests.
* Invite students to submit puns using their spelling or vocabulary words to post on the bulletin board.
* Invite students to create math story problems using exaggeration as a form of humor. These story problems also can be used as part of an assessment.
* Invite students to research their favorite comedians and write "How I got into the Funny Business" essays.
Laughter is contagious. Help your students catch it. Laughter and humor reduce stress, increase self-confidence, and maximize learning. Your students will be infected with the joy of laughter as they participate in this literacy project.
Sources
Johnson, Helen (2005). Counteracting performativity in schools: The case for laughter as a qualitative and redemptive indicator. International Journal of Children's Spirituality, 10, 1 (April), pp. 81-96.
Morrison, Mary Kay (2007). Using Humor to Maximize Learning: The Links between Positive Emotions and Learning.. Lanham, MD: Rowman Education.
