Humor and Comedy Writing Unit Plan

This is a 5-10 day humor writing unit plan for secondary English, college writing, or creative writing students. It’s meant to teach the theory and structure that go into humor writing along with plenty of practice activities.

Humor writing takes a specific set of writing skills, and it can translate to a well-paying job for those who are especially good at it. Even students not destined for standup stages or sitcom writers’ rooms will benefit from studying the elements that make writing funny. This unit will reinforce other writing skills, like choosing words carefully and arranging details so they’re immediately clear to readers.

The syllabus below is a recommended progression for these lessons. However, the unit is flexible. You may want to rearrange it, stretch it out over a longer period, or even use specific lessons in isolation.

Roxanna Elden is the author of See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers, a staple in school districts and educator training programs throughout the country. Her satirical workplace novel, Adequate Yearly Progress, follows several teachers as their professional lives crash into their personal lives and vice versa. Visit roxannaelden.com to sign up for emails and get a free classroom management troubleshooting guide: Why the Six Most Common Pieces of Classroom Management Advice Don’t Always Work as Advertised—and How to Make Them Work Better in Your Classroom.