The Good Lie & Home: Jokes

The Good Lie is one of my favorite movies. It is a touching story and the drama the characters are involved with is food for thought. Home is animated movie that everyone must see. It is funny and the music is just wonderful. I recommend them both.

Jokes are a form of verbal humor, including one-liners, riddles, and other things that make us laugh. It is a funny, made-up story with a punchline told by one person. 

It is distinguished from an anecdote, which may be a funny story and have a punchline, but is about a real or true incident. Because it is a form of story, it has some of the attributes of a story, such as a beginning, middle, and end. 

Adapted from: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-joke.htm

Jokes structures:

adapted from http://www.creatingacomic.com/2009/how-to-write-a-joke-joke-structure/

The Setup — Establishes the premise of the joke by providing the audience with the necessary background info. The setup should be as tight as possible.

The Punchline — Wham! The laugh line. The setup led the audience in one direction, and you surprised them by suddenly going off in a different direction. That twist, that element of surprise, is a punchline’s chief ingredient.

Pragmatics:

Understanding a joke involves background knowledge necessary for making the inferences to get the joke (a matter of pragmatics). If the listener does not understand the culture, behavior or the context of the joke, he/she may not understand it.

I. Watch the movie segment from the great movie The Good Lie and answer the questions that follow.

The Good Lie

1. What is the setup of the joke?

2. What is the punchline?

3. Did the characters understand the joke? Were they familiar with the pragmatics of the joke?

4. In your opinion, is this joke funny? (Why (not)?

II. Watch the movie segment from the movie Home  and answer the questions that follow.

Home

1. What is the setup of the joke?

2. What is the punchline?

3. Did the ET understand the joke? Was he familiar with the pragmatics of the joke?

4. In your opinion, is this joke funny? (Why (not)?

III. Write down a joke you know (or invent one) and tell it to the class. Don't worry if it is not funny at all. However, you must include the setup and the punchline.

EX:

Original comic strips are copyright Paws, Inc. and are used here only as a vehicle for education.

Setup- Garfield, the lazy cat, is working out.

Punchline - So much for "push". Tomorrow we work on "up".

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - HOME

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - THE GOOD LIE

Big Hero 6: Innovations in the Workplace

This is certainly one of the best animated features in 2014. The movie's plot is sensational and breath-taking. I recommend it to all ages.

Adapted from: http://www.changedesigns.net/public/team/team_innovation/Team-innovation-workshop.html

A clear focus area.

When running an innovation workshop in the workplace, it’s important to know the difference between creativity and innovation. Whereas creativity has no boundaries, innovative ideas have to meet certain organizational criteria. These criteria are determined by leaders or sponsors within each organization. They could include ideas that:

• ·   Will provide value to important customers.
• ·   Help the company become more profitable.
• ·   Support the organization's strategy and values.
• ·   Solve important business or operational problems.
• ·   Create new markets, or new products or services.

New knowledge

To get at team to think creatively about the future, you need to provide them with a new way of looking at the world.

You need to supply them with information that will show them that the old way of doing things no longer applies - and that their customers’ expectations are changing, and new competitors are emerging who are doing things differently.

• What is changing in the global economy.
• New technological innovations and social networking trends.
• New social trends.
• How your industry is changing.
• What your competitors are doing.
• What delights and frustrates your customers.

Ask the right questions.

Innovation is more than just creativity. We need our groups to be imaginative in a way that helps them to create ideas that will meet the criteria they will be judged on. What strengths do we have in our team, department or organization? How can we use these strengths to create new products or services for our customers?

I. Read the three main points of innovation in the workplace above, watch the movie segment, and discuss the questions that follow.

1. What is the workshop about? What kind of company is it?

2. What is the major difference between Hiro's and the other inventors' projects?

3. How do you view the difference between INNOVATION and CREATIVITY in the segment?

4. What was he offered?

5. What's your opinion about Hiro's project?

6. How would you describe Hiro's project. check the items you believe apply to his product. Explain how/why it they apply to the situation.

• A CLEAR FOCUS
• NEW KNOWLEDGE
• ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - BIG  HERO 6