This is a resource from CPALMS (www.cpalms.org) where all educators go for bright ideas!

Resource ID#: 74201

Primary Type: Lesson Plan

Advice to Youth - A Satire by Mark Twain

This close reading lesson focuses on Mark Twain's comical satire, "Advice to Youth." Students will close read the text three times to analyze Twain's
powerful satirical style, as well as the power of nuances. For the first reading, students will focus on academic vocabulary. In the second reading,
students will answer text-dependent questions as a guide for their comprehension of the satire. In the third close reading, students will analyze the
advice Twain gives, the ways in which his essay critiques society and its behaviors, and how he uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to reveal his
advice. For the summative assessment, students will write an argumentative essay in which they make a claim regarding whether or not Twain's
advice is still pertinent for the youth of today. Graphic organizers and worksheets, along with teacher keys, and a writing rubric have been provided.

Subject(s): English Language Arts

Grade Level(s): 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators Suggested Technology: Document Camera,
Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD
Projector, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 4 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s)

Resource supports reading in content area: Yes Freely Available: Yes

Keywords: satire, sarcasm, exaggeration, irony, humor, Mark Twain, Advice to Youth, close reading

Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan, Worksheet, Assessment, Text Resource, Instructional
Technique, Formative Assessment
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative

ATTACHMENTS
Advice_to_Youth_text.docx
Vocab_Graphic_Organizer_Advice_to_Youth.docx
Vocab_Graphic_Organizer_KEY.docx
Question_worksheet.docx
Question_worksheet_KEY.docx
Advice_to_Youth_satire_analysis.docx
Advice_to_Youth_satire_analysis_MODEL.docx
Argument_Essay_Rubric.docx
Exit_Slip.docx

LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: General Lesson Plan
Learning Objectives: What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to:

Cite specific and relevant evidence from Twain's essay "Advice to Youth" when responding to text-dependent questions.
Determine the meaning of selected words from Twain's essay.
Recognize elements of satire, and use of irony and exaggeration to achieve humor in Twain's essay.
Interpret Twain's use of satire, irony, and exaggeration throughout his essay and their role in the text.
Determine what advice Twain gives to the youth throughout his satire.
Make a claim about the relevance of Twain's advice to today's youth, support the claim(s) using relevant ideas and textual evidence from Twain's essay, as well as
use of appropriate transitions to connect claims, reasons, and evidence, and provide an appropriate conclusion that supports the argument.

page 1 of 6 
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students need to understand the following terms and be able to identify and analyze them in a text: verbal irony and hyperbole. Teachers might wish to review
these terms with students using the site literary-devices.com or literarydevices.net.
Students need to be able to use various language strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in a text.
Students should have had practice at analyzing the development of an idea or point through examples or anecdotes in a text.
Students should know the term "claim" and how to make a claim and support a claim in a written argument.
Although explanations are provided in the teaching phase about satire, teachers may find this link helpful with that instruction.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
Display these guiding questions throughout the lesson and use them as a visual reminder for students as they analyze Twain's essay and deepen their understanding:

In his satirical essay "Advice to Youth," what is Twain critiquing about society or the behaviors of people in it?
In what ways does he want society and the people in it to improve their behaviors?
How does Twain use language to create humor?
How does Twain use irony and exaggeration to reveal his advice?
What advice does Twain give to the youth throughout his essay?
Is Twain's advice still relevant to the youth of today?
Teaching Phase: How will the teacher present the concept or skill to students?
Hook and Introduction to Lesson:

1. Class will begin with the teacher writing the word satire on the board. The teacher will ask the class if anyone has heard of this word before and if they can provide
the definition of what they believe this word to mean.

2. Based on student feedback, the teacher may need to give/act out a few examples of what a satire is. Actively engage the students to make this interactive and FUN!
Provide examples (if needed) and explain how they are examples of satire:

A parent saying that it’s totally okay that their son/daughter forgot to study for their final exam – Parent even gives their kid allowance money, saying all that hard
work will pay off some day.

A regularly committed vegetarian takes a bite into a juicy, meaty Big Mac, admitting that they needed to satiate their carnal craving for the day, and then they return to
their pro-animal activist protest.

3. The teacher should provide students specific details to help them understand what satire is and what its purpose is. This information might be helpful with this
instruction (students should take notes as needed to reference this information throughout the lesson):

From Wikipedia: "Satire is a genre of literature, and sometimes graphic and performing arts, in which vices, foolish practices and ideas, abuses, and shortcomings are
held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government or society itself, into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be
humorous, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon and as a tool to draw attention to both particular and wider issues in
society." From litdevices.net: "The goal of satire is to improve humanity by criticizing its foolish practices and ideas... In addition, writers or artists using satire hope
that those he/she criticizes will improve their characters by overcoming their weaknesses."

4. The teacher should also review if needed the terms verbal irony and hyperbole. Verbal irony: a statement in which the speaker states something entirely different
than what he is really expressing. Hyperbole: an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

Close Reading 1:

1. Teachers should tell the students that this satire by Mark Twain was published in 1882 – well over a century ago. He was one of America's great humorists and
social critics. In "Advice to Youth," a talk he delivered to a group of young girls, Twain turns the conventional moral lecture on its head. Tell them that this is NO
ordinary piece of text. Get them engaged! Let them know that he wrote this with the intent to be sarcastic and ironic. Tell them this is the text that they will read
through three times.

2. Go over the guiding questions for the lesson with students (again, making sure these questions are visible throughout the lesson) and explain to them the
summative assessment task (see summative assessment section) so they will know what they will eventually have to write about at the end of the lesson.

3. Pass out to each student a copy of Twain's "Advice to Youth. Depending on the needs of the students, this first read could be done as a read aloud with the teacher
and strong student readers taking turns reading the text aloud or students could read the text independently. Provide a purpose for the first reading: Have students
highlight anything in the text that surprises them (things that Twain says that they didn't expect him to say) and anything that they find humorous.

4. After the reading is complete, have students share out things they highlighted and give them time to briefly explain why they highlighted them. Don't provide
corrective feedback at this time or analyze the text, just allow students to share their initial impressions and reactions.

5. Have students work with selected vocabulary from the text. Pass out a copy of the vocabulary organizer and give students time to work on determining a meaning
for each word, based on how it is used in the essay. Make sure that students have access to print or online dictionaries at this time.

6. When students are ready to share out their answers, ask them to include what strategy they used to determine the word's meaning. Provide corrective feedback on
the definitions (a vocabulary key is provided) and allow students to correct their work. If the majority of students struggled to determine the meaning of a word,
conduct a think aloud to model a strategy they could have used.

7. Optional: Some challenging words or terms from Twain's essay that are not in the vocabulary organizer that teachers might want to make sure students understand
the definitions: enduring, unrefined, maxim, preposterous, merit, Gatling gun, inestimable.

Guided Practice: What activities or exercises will the students complete with teacher guidance?
Close Reading 2:

1. If students did the first reading independently, it is recommended that the second reading be done aloud to model fluency for all readers. The teacher and strong
student readers can take turns reading the text aloud. Before beginning the second read though, pass out the text-dependent questions and go over these questions
with students. During the read aloud, students should mark any aspects of the text that "jump out at them" that will help them with these questions.

2. Allow ample time for students to complete these questions individually, reminding them to use textual evidence when answering. Remind them that they can mark
up their own copies, circle and underline words, anything they would like in order to dissect and analyze Twain’s essay.

page 2 of 6 
3. Do not collect student work. Instead go over possible answers as an entire group. A questions key has been included but please know that there are many
interpretations that students can make when answering most of these questions. Please allow flexibility in student responses if they can provide appropriate and
relevant evidence from the text to support their analysis. Call on students to share their responses, and if students are really off base in a response, guide them back
to the text to help them revise their answer. Use of a document camera to point out evidence in the text to support the answers to different questions can also help
struggling readers and visual learners. Allow students to make corrections and additions to their answers throughout this discussion.

Close Reading 3:

1. Set a purpose for reading by going over these guiding questions again:

In his satirical essay "Advice to Youth," what is Twain critiquing about society or the behaviors of people in it?
In what ways does he want society and the people in it to improve their behaviors?
How does Twain use language to create humor?
How does Twain use irony and exaggeration to reveal his advice?
What advice does Twain give to the youth throughout his essay?
2. Pass out the "Advice to Youth" satire analysis handout, one copy per student. Explain to students that they will be digging deeper into Twain's essay in this activity
and they will be analyzing different sections, a chunk at a time. Students can also make marginal notes and highlight, circle, underline, etc. the actual text in each
chunk. Encourage students to do the following:

Read the chunk once and make notes to answer these questions about that chunk:
What is Twain critiquing about society or the behaviors of people in it?
In what ways does he want society and the people in it to improve their behaviors?
Read the chunk again to make notes to answer this question:
What advice does Twain give to the youth in this chunk?
Read the chunk a final time to make notes to answer these questions:
How does Twain use language to create humor?
How does Twain use irony and exaggeration to reveal his advice?
3. It is encouraged that the teacher work with the whole class through these steps and fill out the handout together for chunks 1 and 2 so students understand the
procedure and what is expected. A possible key/model has been included but please know that there are a number of possible interpretations for analyzing each
section and not all possible analysis or commentary has been provided. This model has been included as a guide only.

4. Now allow students to work with a partner to do the above procedure for chunks 3-6. When students are ready, provide time for them to share out their responses
and provide feedback as needed. Students can make revisions to their handout during this discussion.

5. Students can then work individually on chunks 7-10. When students are ready, provide time for them to share out their responses and provide feedback as needed.
Students can make revisions to their handout during this discussion. Alternatively, the teacher could collect students' work for these final chunks, assessing their work,
providing and grade and written feedback.

Independent Practice: What activities or exercises will students complete to reinforce the concepts and skills developed in the
lesson?
Students will now use their vocabulary graphic organizer, text-dependent questions answers, and analysis handout to write an argumentative essay about Twain's
"Advice to Youth."

1. Have students think about and respond briefly in writing to the following questions to stimulate their thinking:

With the criticisms Twain had about society in 1884, are those problems still a problem today? Why or why not?
Do you agree with the advice that Twain provides throughout his essay?
Which advice to you agree with? Why?
Which advice to you disagree with? Why?
Is Twain's advice valid for today’s youth? Why or why not?
2. Allow students time if possible to exchange ideas with a partner or small group and add to their notes based on this conversation.
3. Provide students with the essay writing prompt:

Mark Twain offers advice to young readers in his essay, “Advice to Youth” written in 1882. Are his critiques about society and the behaviors of people in it relevant
to today's society? Is Twain’s advice relevant to today’s youth? Write an argumentative essay in which you state your claims in answer to each of these questions,
making your claims and reasons clear and supporting them with appropriate and specific evidence, including evidence from Twain's essay.
4. Teachers can use this rubric for grading. Please make sure students have a copy of the rubric and go over it with students before they begin writing.

Closure: How will the teacher assist students in organizing the knowledge gained in the lesson?
1. Students will be given an exit slip, which has them reflect on their own lives and advice that has been given to them.

2. When students are done, the teacher can ask who would like to share their answer AND/OR the teacher can read selected entries out loud to the class.

3. The teacher may also want to have a brief discussion using these questions:

Was Twain's use of satire effective in getting his points across and revealing his advice to youth throughout the essay? Why or why not?
How would this speech have been different without Twain's use of humor and if he had just told the youth straight out what to do and not do?
Summative Assessment
Students will respond to the following essay writing prompt:

Mark Twain offers advice to young readers in his essay, "Advice to Youth" written in 1882. Are his critiques about society and the behaviors of people in it relevant
to today's society? Is Twain's advice relevant to today's youth? Write an argumentative essay in which you state your claims in answer to each of these questions,
making your claims clear and supporting them with appropriate and specific reasons and evidence, including evidence from Twain's essay.
Teachers can use this rubric for grading. Please make sure students have a copy of the rubric and go over it with students before they begin writing.

Please see the independent practice section for more information.

page 3 of 6 
Formative Assessment
After the first close reading of the essay, the students will work to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary words from the essay. This activity provides an
opportunity for the teacher to become familiar with students' understanding or misunderstanding of the meaning of the words and the strategies they know how (or
don't know how) to use to determine the meanings of unknown words.

After the second close reading of the essay, students will answer text-dependent questions to deepen their understanding of the text. This will help the teacher assess
student comprehension of the essay and the teacher can then address any misconceptions as students work through answering the questions.

With the final close reading activity, the teacher will be able to determine if students can determine what advice Twain is really giving in each section of the essay, if
they can identify Twain's use of humor, irony and exaggeration and interpret their meanings, and if they can identify what aspects of society or society's behaviors he
was criticizing. This provides the teacher with any whole­class misunderstandings or oversights in interpreting Twain’s essay in preparation for the summative
assessment.

Feedback to Students
After the first reading, the teacher will provide verbal feedback on students' vocabulary organizers. Students will be able to make corrections to their work based on
this feedback.
After the second close reading the teacher may go over possible answers as an entire group or provide written feedback to each individual student. Students can
use this feedback to correct misunderstandings about the text and be more equipped for the final close reading as they dig deeper into the text in that reading.
In the final close reading activity, students will receive verbal and possibly written feedback to help them adjust their analysis and interpretations and deepen their
comprehension of Twain's use of humor, irony, and hyperbole, as well as their ability to determine Twain's advice for youth, and identify what he is critiquing about
society.
The teacher should provide extensive feedback on students' essays including written feedback that aligns with the rubric, and if time allows, the teacher will conduct
student conferences, while students make revisions based on this feedback.

ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Accommodations:
--The second close read activity (text dependent questions) could be done with a partner if needed.

--The final close read activity could be done entirely with a partner or small group.

--The teacher could provide an example of an argumentative essay on a controversial high school topic to give students a model to follow or the teacher could
distribute an argumentative essay template.

--The teacher could conduct small group differentiated instruction for any section of the final close reading activities to provide individual support.

--For small group instruction the teacher can chunk the essay into small sections for the first and second close reads (the teacher could use the same chunking that is
used for the final close reading).

--Teachers may want to try grouping students by ability so that struggling readers have support from stronger readers or struggling writers have support from
stronger writers.

Extensions:
--Students could actually read aloud their essays to their peers and discuss their viewpoints.

--The teacher could choose a select number of the most difficult vocabulary words and have students create a poster size analysis of that word in context as a group.
Then students could perform a Gallery Walk to see how other groups decoded the meaning of difficult words.

Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office

Special Materials Needed:

Students will need access to print or online dictionaries during the first close reading.

Further Recommendations:
Teachers may find the following resources helpful:

The Official Website of Mark Twain

From PBS- to learn more about Mark Twain and classroom activities are provided

A modern adaptation/parody of "Advice to Youth" directed towards those in the healthcare field (some of the language is high level because it is directed at healthcare
workers but students will understand some parts and be able to see the humor and how this is a parody of Twain's essay)

Commentary on Twain's "Advice to Youth"

Satirical Techniques provided by ReadWriteThink.org (A website developed by the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, with
support from the Verizon Foundation.)

page 4 of 6 
 Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
While this essay "Advice to Youth" by Mark Twain has a Lexile rating of 1040, Twain’s use of satire, irony, and exaggeration increases the rigor and complexity of the text
making the text appropriate for the 9-10 grade band.

SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION

Contributed by: Suzanne Weiner
Name of Author/Source: Suzanne Weiner
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Martin
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial

Related Standards
Name Description
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11–12 reading
and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a
sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g.,
LAFS.1112.L.3.4: conceive, conception, conceivable).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and
digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, its
etymology, or its standard usage.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in
context or in a dictionary).

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
LAFS.1112.L.3.5: a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.
b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
LAFS.1112.RI.1.1:
drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and
LAFS.1112.RI.2.4: technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a
text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band
proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
LAFS.1112.RI.4.10:
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text
complexity band independently and proficiently.
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons,
and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while
pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level,
LAFS.1112.W.1.1: concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion,
and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s)
and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose,
LAFS.1112.W.2.4:
and audience. (Grade­specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
a. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth­, nineteenth­ and
early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or topics”).
LAFS.1112.W.3.9: b. Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal
U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme
Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public
advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).

page 5 of 6 
page 6 of 6