Funny in One Place, Not in Another: Humor Across Cultures
Learning Goals:
- Learn new words to talk about different kinds of humor.
- Talk about what makes you laugh and what makes people in other cultures laugh.
- Read about jokes from different countries.
- Listen to comedians from around the world.
- Write about the power of humor to bring people together.
Key Words:
- Humor: Things that make us laugh.
- Joke: A short story or sentence meant to be funny.
- Slapstick: Funny actions, often silly and exaggerated.
- Pun: A joke that uses words that sound the same but have different meanings.
- Sarcasm: Saying the opposite of what you mean to be funny (but sometimes it can sound mean!).
- Culture: A group of people’s shared beliefs, customs, and traditions.
Let’s Talk About It!
- What kind of humor do you like? (Silly jokes, puns, funny stories, sarcasm?)
- Have you ever heard a joke that didn’t make sense to you? Why do you think that is?
- What are some things that people in your culture find funny? (Can you think of any jokes or funny stories that are popular in your country?)
Let’s Read!
People from different countries find different things funny. In England, people might laugh at a joke about the weather. In Mexico, people might laugh at funny stories about families. In Japan, wordplay and puns can be very funny. Humor is different all around the world!
Listen and Learn!
(Teacher plays short clips of comedians from different countries telling jokes in English. Have students discuss what was funny and what was different about the humor.)
Talk with a Partner!
One of you is a visitor from another country. The other is a local person. Share a joke from your culture with your partner. Can they understand why it’s funny?
Homework:
Write a short paragraph about how humor can be a way for people from different cultures to connect and understand each other better.
Extra Fun:
If you can, find a joke in English that you think someone from your culture would find funny. Explain it to a classmate and see if they get it!
