Whether you’re teaching high school or middle school students, it probably feels like irony is already their second language. But there’s a difference between understanding and unpacking irony in literature and the irony they use daily. After all, there’s a stark distinction between irony that occurs in real life and the memes they share with their friends. This is why finding engaging classes for teaching irony to your students is essential! Still, your responsibility as a teacher extends beyond the classroom. You are responsible for equipping your students for success in their daily lives, too, which requires building character. While accomplishing both can feel daunting, the Medal of Honor Foundation (CMOHF) is here to help! 

We proudly offer the Character Development Program (CDP), a free, adaptable, and engaging resource for teachers to nurture academic success and actual growth in students. One great lesson we offer is entitled “A Lesson in Irony,” and it can help your students graduate from memes to complex themes that enable them to build vital character and better understand and navigate the world. Here’s how!

Lesson for Teaching Irony to Middle & High Schoolers

In the free irony lesson, “A Lesson in Irony,” students will learn how to define the literary term “irony,” identify examples, describe irony in comic strips or memes, and interpret and explain William Crawford’s actions, which they will learn about in a riveting video.

By teaching irony, you help them hone their critical thinking skills and understand subtext to enhance their literary analysis and improve reading comprehension. With these skills, students will develop empathy, emotional intelligence, resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving.

Here is an overview of how this lesson works and how it will help your students learn valuable analytical skills in the classroom while building essential character for success in life! First, let’s dive into how to explain irony to a child or teenager, because that is the foundation of success for them as students and you as a teacher. 

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What is Irony for Kids? How to Explain Irony

There are three types of irony to define for your students (situational, verbal, and dramatic), though breaking them down into an easily digestible definition can be difficult. Fortunately, we’re here to help. Here’s how to explain irony to a child or teenager with simplified irony definitions for kids: 

1. Situational Irony: Situational irony is, basically, when something unexpected happens. It often has a little bit of flair that makes you feel like something was funny, strange, or clever. When explaining this, you could use the example of a fire station catching on fire, for example, or even misspell a word on purpose as an English teacher and point out the irony in that. 
2. Verbal Irony: While there are different types of verbal irony, there’s no need to get into the weeds here – the kind of verbal irony we are most often referring to is saying the opposite of what you mean, which is basically like sarcasm. This will likely be second nature to them. 
3. Dramatic Irony: Dramatic irony adds tension and intrigue to a story and revolves around the audience knowing something characters don’t know – the suspense of wondering when they will find out is what keeps people hooked in books, series, and films. Teaching dramatic irony is an excellent segue into more creative writing activities.

How to Teach Irony to Students

Now, providing an easy-to-understand summary of irony’s meaning for kids is just the beginning. When teaching irony, literature is often the best place to start, as we typically find these three types of irony in poems, short stories, and novels. Here’s how to teach irony to students:

• Start by explaining the types of irony – providing some examples from books, stories, poems, TV shows, movies, or even memes could be a great way to illustrate them! 
• Engage your students in activities that require them to identify and analyze irony. This will help your students really “jump into the pool,” so to speak. 
• Use a mix of group and independent activities with opportunities for self-guided lessons.  
• Encourage and develop critical thinking – this element is essential for developing minds, and it’s one reason literature is an excellent vehicle for these lessons. Encourage students to question the purpose of irony in a text. Is it used for humor, suspense, or is it used to make a larger point? 
• Open up the class to discussion for your students to share how they think irony can be used and why people use it to make points. 

CDP offers an engaging lesson on irony that you can easily integrate into your class. With a range of irony activities for high school and middle school students to choose from, you will be fully equipped with a ready-made lesson plan and irony activities PDF. Learn more about the materials below! 

What Materials Do You Get to Help with Teaching Irony to Middle & High School Students?

A huge benefit of using CDP’s resources for teachers is that they come with ready-made, free materials and activities for irony. You will receive a ready-made lesson plan to integrate into your class easily. It provides different types of activities and key information to prep your class for the lesson. 

Below, you can see the lesson plan you will receive with this module. Once you register, all you have to do is download the free irony lesson plan PDF!

You should also be prepared to leverage the Internet, newspapers, and the riveting video provided by CDP about the unbelievable feats of World War II veteran William J. Crawford, which will instill a deep appreciation of the value of sacrifice in students and inspire them to emulate his acts of bravery.

In addition to this video, you will receive a viewing guide and an irony worksheet PDF to print off for your students to complete as they watch it. Below, you can view the viewing guide. All you have to do to download and print it is register for free!

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How CDP Equips You for Teaching Irony

Before you even begin with your lesson, CDP provides a great recap of the kinds of irony used in fiction, theater, and rhetoric, which have some of the best irony examples for kids and students. 

If you need to, you can use this ready-made recap to illustrate the difference between dramatic irony, verbal irony, and situational irony that draws from classic works, such as Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. 

It even gives you valuable real-life examples to help define these terms, like when you stayed up all night cramming for a test the next day, only to have the test postponed until the following week. This could be a lesson in and of itself. 

And don’t be afraid to mix in some cultural references they’ll understand, such as examples of irony in their favorite sitcoms or even YouTube videos. What’s most important is that the lesson is relatable to ensure it resonates. 

How CDP’s Lesson for Teaching Irony Works

Now, let’s get into how this lesson works. You will begin with an introductory activity that involves discussing examples of irony and encouraging the class to think of more examples. In doing so, you will strengthen their understanding of irony.

Then, you will begin a whole group activity in which your class looks at examples of irony that genuinely resonate with them. A comic strip or meme will be far more engaging for them. As you discuss these examples, you will give them instructions on identifying examples of irony. If you need help providing instruction, refer back to the last lesson’s notes. 

After this whole group activity, you will begin a small group or individual activity in which your students will find three comic strips or memes that demonstrate irony, identify the example of irony, explain how it is ironic, and then present the findings for the class to see. 

Finally, you will watch William Crawford’s video as a class, instructing students to identify irony in it. Afterward, you will have them complete the viewing guide, including an open-ended essay prompt encouraging students to reflect and consider a time in their life when they experienced irony.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Character Development Program:

How Does This Lesson Build Character while Teaching Irony?

Irony isn’t just a literary device. It’s a life skill. Your students may be fluent in memes and sarcasm, but teaching them to unpack the deeper layers of irony in literature and real life guides them from surface-level humor to a nuanced understanding of life’s complexities. 

By teaching irony in literature classes, your students will explore the use of irony in literature and history to sharpen their critical thinking, build empathy, and shape their character. 

In doing so, you equip them with the tools to analyze texts, better understand how to use irony in writing and discourse, and help them better understand the world with resilience, emotional intelligence, and a touch of humor. 

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Do You Need Help Teaching Irony to Middle and High School Students? Register for the Character Development Program Today! 

With CDP’s free lesson“A Lesson in Irony,” which equips you with all the materials you need for effectively teaching irony to high school or middle school ELA students, you’re not just giving your students a toolkit for interpreting literature; you’re giving them a framework to understand and navigate the complexities of life itself. Ready to transform your students’ thinking and build their character in the process? Download the free resources now and start shaping the next generation of thoughtful, resilient, and insightful heroes.

Register for the Character Development Program today for FREE and unlock the full potential of your students. Let’s inspire the next generation of heroes and leaders together.