Irony
Lesson plans and teaching resources

| Dramatic Irony | | Situational Irony | | Verbal Irony | | Any/All types of Irony |

Dramatic Irony

In on a secret? That's dramatic irony.
Students watch a captioned video (2:50) explaining dramatic irony. There is a short follow-up assessment and some links for additional research. First in a series of TED-Ed talks.

Situational Irony

Analyzing Irony and Symbolism in a Short Story
Students read and discuss "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. Then they are given definitions for both symbolism and situational irony and find examples in the story. Adobe Reader required for access.

Situational Irony — the opposite of what you think
Students watch a captioned video (3:12) explaining situational irony. There is a short follow-up assessment and some links for additional research. Second in a series of TED-Ed talks.

Verbal Irony

What is verbal irony?
Students watch a captioned video (3:29) explaining verbal irony and the difference between it and sarcasm. There is a short follow-up assessment and activities for additional research, including a video, a worksheet, and a guided discussion question. Third in a series of TED-Ed talks.

Any/All types of Irony

How Ironic!
This lesson will introduce students to the concept of irony. Verbal, situational, and dramatic irony will be defined, but the focus of the lesson is situational irony. This lesson is designed for 9th grade and will work well with both "The Interlopers" and "The Open Window." by Saki.

Irony
Definitions and examples of irony.

Irony Worksheets
Two worksheets on irony, a slide show explaining the concept, and a set of scenarios involving different types of irony.

For lessons on irony that are related to specific stories, search for those stories. For example, irony in O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi," Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," or Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" will be found on those pages.