How often do we encourage kids to be funny in school projects?
Welcome to Kids Creating Comedy!
We offer this website and this page’s rendering of the way Assemblage Theory works with pedagogy, not as a blueprint for educators to replicate, but rather as a means of sharing the way children and adults came together on a new literacy learning trajectory. The unit is based on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded research project undertaken by Dr. Kim Lenters and her team in two Grade 5 classrooms in an Alberta public school.
This multi-modal unit took place over two weeks, with a half-day block dedicated to the project each day.
Here you'll find lesson ideas, guides, and tips about introducing comedy and creative writing into your classroom.
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You can use this site as a guide for your class. We suggest you tailor it to your own students and, in the spirit of improv, just roll with it!
Why this unit?
We see funny books, kids telling jokes, and hear laughter everyday in the classroom - but how often do we encourage kids to be funny in school projects? We wanted to open up a way for kids to bring humour into their school work. This unit uses humour and popular culture as a curriculum resource - engaging children's literacy and drama skills. This takes their learning beyond the "3Rs" to considering how gesture, space, time, and improvisation are used in meaning making.
Why comedy?
We know children's literacy extends beyond reading and writing - it also takes complex meaning-making skills in a range of modalities, all situated in a context, to make sense of the various media and texts they encounter. We wanted to build on the ejoyment kids experience with comedic popular culture, and to build on what they know about comedy in order to produce funny texts.
Assemblage Theory
As a research project, the study was informed by Assemblage Theory. This perspective focuses on how networks of people, practices, and objects are seen in our everyday uses of literacy. This brought our attention to how students use their experiences and knowledge to bring humour to their lives, and how we can use that in the classroom.
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Want to learn more? Check out this page on Assemblage Theory!
