A Confederacy of Dunces Lesson Plan

The Impact of Dialect

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will look closely at the author's use of dialect and examine the intention and impact of its use.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.4

Structure:

Toole has been celebrated for his original characters and authentic dialogue. In this activity, students will look closely at the impact dialect has on characterization, build awareness of New Orleans dialects, and look at how Toole uses dialect to comment on social class and caste.

1) As an opener, depending on your region, ask students how they pronounce certain words that tend to have different pronunciations. For a list of...