1. Read the poem and answer the question in
complete sentences.
Irony: the difference between the way something
appears and what is actually true.
The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop
I caught a tremendous fish
And held him beside the boat
Half out of water with my hook
Fast in a corner of its mouth
He didn’t fight
He hadn’t fought at all
9/18 Warm-Up: Read & Respond
What makes
lines 5 & 6 in
the poem
ironic?

2. Objectives for the day
• By the end of today you’ll be able to …
– define irony, dramatic irony, situational irony,
and verbal irony
– find examples of irony, dramatic irony,
situational irony, and verbal irony within
various works.

3. Scales for Understanding
1 2 3 4
-I have no
idea what
irony is.
-I wouldn’t
even know
where to
look for
irony.
-I’d have a
hard time
writing down
a definition
for irony.
-I can think
of some
examples of
irony in my
life or in a tv
show/movie/
book that I
like.
-I can define
irony.
-I can think
of some
examples of
irony.
-I can
identify irony
in a story if I
had time to
think about
it/help.
-I can do all
of the things
listed in 3.
-I can create
a story
(fictitious)
that has
irony in it.

4. Notes Time
• Create a chart in your
notes that looks like
this
TYPE OF
IRONY
DEFINTION OF
TYPE
EXAMPLE OF
TYPE

5. Irony
Irony is about expectations.
Irony: the opposite of what is expected.
3 kinds of irony
• Verbal
• Dramatic
• Situational

6. Verbal Irony
A character says one thing but means
the opposite
Also called sarcasm or being sarcastic.
Examples
The locker room smells really good.
Awesome! Another homework packet!

7. Act-Outs
• Today we’ll have a few students act out a
scene.
• As a class we’ll vote on who can sound
the most ironic.

8. Situational Irony
When what actually happens is the
opposite of what is expected.
Something about the situation is completely
unexpected.
Example
General Sedgwick’s last words were, “They
couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.”
Bill Gates uses an Apple computer.

9. Situational Irony Practice
• Today we will listen to the song “Ironic” &
evaluate its title.
• Listen quietly to the song.
• When the teacher pauses think about the
verse and if it’s ironic or not and why.
• The teacher will call on students at random.

11. Dramatic Irony
When the reader understands more about
the events of a story than a character.
You know something that a character
doesn’t.
Example
Tim’s parents are proud of the “A” he got on
the test, but we know he cheated.
Alex writes a love poem to Judy but we know
that Judy loves Devin.

12. Review
Something that is ironic is unexpected.
If unexpected by a character, it’s dramatic.
If unexpected by everyone, it’s situational.
If it’s sarcasm, it’s verbal.

13. Scales for Understanding
1 2 3 4
-I have no
idea what
irony is.
-I wouldn’t
even know
where to
look for
irony.
-I’d have a
hard time
writing down
a definition
for irony.
-I can think
of some
examples of
irony in my
life or in a tv
show/movie/
book that I
like.
-I can define
irony.
-I can think
of some
examples of
irony.
-I can
identify irony
in a story if I
had time to
think about
it/help.
-I can do all
of the things
listed in 3.
-I can create
a story
(fictitious)
that has
irony in it.

14. HW
• Identifying Irony Worksheet
• Due Thursday, Sep 19th