Three strikes and you're in!

One of the shortest formulas given to my sketch writing class was the Blackout sketch, a sketch that stands on its own with one joke and one twist. The formula outline is as follows:

THE WHO

2 characters (can be more, but two works best)

1 character on stage

1 character enters

THE WHAT

Character #1 on stage is doing an activity

Character #2 enters with “What are you doing?”

THE PUNCH

Character #1 answers question with a fabulously funny answer

Here is my version of the formula-still one joke, one twist

THE GAME

Dropped calls that would have changed history

LIGHTS UP!

Innkeeper is serving steins of beer when his cellphone rings.

Innkeeper

Is there a Paul Revere here?

Paul Revere

I’m Paul Revere.

Innkeeper

You’ve got a call.

Paul Revere

Thanks. This is Paul. The British are what... The British are what? Damn, lost ‘em.  Another beer here!

BLACKOUT!

Then you take the game and put it within two more contexts where dropped calls would have changed the course of history, and you have a Blackout Trilogy.

In my experience of teaching writing skills to 2e learners, I noticed that the most usual challenge was avoiding getting bogged down in the details that take them on side trips away from their main idea. Many 2e learners find it difficult to identify the main idea in their reading due to distraction by the details supporting the main idea or plot. So, how can this simple sketch writing process be used to strengthen basic writing skills in 2e learners? This simple sketch formula includes nothing but the main idea. No details allowed or you’ve lost the game. This formula also allows the 2e teacher four instructional strategies that both support 2e cognitive strengths and accommodate their weak executive functioning skills. These instructional strategies will:

1. Attend to 2e learners’ cognitive strengths (Intellect and humor)

2. Accommodate 2e learners’ attention and memory deficits (Through  

    setting short term goals)

3. Accommodate different learning styles of 2e learners (Auditory-

    talking it through, kinesthetic-improvise before writing, and visual-

    storyboarding before writing.

4. Provide opportunities for task completion due to its short term

    objective, which builds personal self-efficacy.

It is also asked of the Blackout Trilogy writer to remake his game three times using different situations, but remaining true to the original game. This practice of repetition, something so necessary in skill mastery, is something that 2e students are loathe to do. However, since the context is ever changing, they will not feel as if it is repetition; they will be engaged and motivated in their quest for humor.