We’re going to watch a few video clips from stand-up comedians. Please get into groups of three, and work through the following exercise. We’ll discuss your responses as we go along.

1. Write down notes, marking important details from the jokes and creating a sort of outline
2. Then, in your groups, discuss your individual breakdowns and respond to the following questions:
   • What is the main point or main idea of the joke? This is the comedian’s primary claim.
   • What lines from the joke or actions of the comedian onstage prove your argument about the main idea or primary claim? These are the lines that hit home the hardest.
   • What lines or actions are supporting details? What parts of the joke are sub-points or secondary claims? In other words, what lines or actions onstage are there to move the joke forward and add details to the main idea?