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8th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 4 of 12

Irony, Satire & Allusion

When words mean more than they say

What your child practices

Telling verbal, situational and dramatic irony apart, spotting how satire uses exaggeration to criticize, and explaining what an allusion to a well-known story adds to a text.

Alaska content standards learning standard: RL.8.4; RL.8.6 · irony, satire and allusion

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Verbal irony: saying the opposite of what you mean. Situational: the opposite of what you expect happens. Dramatic: the audience knows what a character doesn’t.
  2. Satire uses exaggeration and humor to criticize something real.
  3. An allusion is a reference to a well-known story or person that adds meaning.

Example: Sana says “Great job” after a friend drops the whole tray. What kind of irony is this? Dropping the tray isn’t a great job. Sana says the opposite of what she means. Answer: verbal irony

Irony, Satire & Allusion in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 4 of 12 in 8th grade English Language Arts, after Word Study and before Whose Story Is It?.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which sentence contains an allusion?

    • Her shops were as busy as beehives.
    • She had the Midas touch, and every shop she opened thrived.
    • Her shops thrived, thrived, thrived.
    • She opened three shops, and they all thrived.

  2. Question 2

    What kind of irony is the ending?

    Dev's Big Day

    Dev had spent a month preparing for the school's Be On Time Award. He set three alarms, packed his bag the night before and left home an hour early. He reached the school gate at 7:15 a.m., ready to be the first one there.

    The gate was locked. A sign taped to it read: “School closed today for Professional Development Day.”

    • situational irony
    • dramatic irony
    • verbal irony

  3. Question 3

    What is an allusion?

    • a word that sounds like its meaning
    • a repeated beginning sound
    • a comparison that uses like or as
    • a brief reference to a well-known person, place, event or work

  4. Question 4

    Which sentence is an example of verbal irony?

    • Sana said the tray was heavy.
    • “Great job,” Sana said after he carried the tray safely.
    • “Great job,” Sana said after he dropped the whole tray.
    • Sana carried the tray to the kitchen.

  5. Question 5

    Why might an author choose satire instead of a direct argument?

    • Satire never criticizes anything.
    • Humor can draw readers in and help them see a problem in a new way.
    • Satire is always shorter than an argument.
    • Satire only uses facts and numbers.

  6. Question 6

    What does “the underdog had slung its stone” suggest?

    The Underdog

    “It's a David and Goliath matchup,” the announcer said as the Grade 8 team lined up against the high school varsity squad. Nobody expected the Hawks to last a quarter.

    But Priya dribbled around her tall opponent with the calm of a champion, and by halftime the Hawks were ahead. The crowd rose to its feet. The underdog had slung its stone.

    • The game had ended in a tie.
    • The smaller team had a surprising success.
    • Someone threw a stone at the crowd.
    • The team lost badly.

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