RE076.c

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Reading Standard 6.c - Level 7

Apply knowledge of literary techniques (for example, foreshadowing, metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and flashback) to understand text.

Standard in Kid Friendly Language

You will be able to understand your readings, for example novels, short stories, poems, better by practicing literary devices. Some of the literary devices are: metaphor, simile, personification, and alliteration.

Standard Unwrapped

KNOW Students will be able to understand their readings better by focusing on literary devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia, alliteration, etc.) Before identifying these they will have the chance to learn them again through playful practice.


ABLE TO DO Students will be able to identify and apply the following literary devices:

Alliteration: repeated consonant at the beginning of a series of words. Ex. His big beautiful blue eyes beckoned unto me.

Simile: comparison using like or as. Ex. Her eyes were like stars twinkling in the sky

Onomatopoeia: sound words. Ex. Bang, Boom, Pop, Sizzle, Fizz

Personification: giving human qualities to animals or inanimate objects. Ex. The birds whispered sweet melodies in my ears.

Metaphor: direct comparison of two unlike things without using like or as. Ex. She was an angel dancing around the room.


Resource[Go to 269. Figurative Language Scaveger Hunt]

Symbol: a person, place, or thing that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself.

Instructional Strategies

Item One. ALLITERATION

1. Teacher defines alliteration and reads examples to the class, using Web sites to provide illustrations and examples. 2. On the board or overhead, teacher writes some fill-in-the-blank alliteration examples from the Web sites. 3. Teacher prints and copies worksheets provided on the Web sites if extra practice is needed. 4. Teacher passes out the assignment handout, and reads the sheet aloud as students follow along. Teacher answers any questions. 5. Teacher gives each student two to three magazines or newspapers, scissors, paper, and an envelope. 6. After they begin cutting out words and letters, students can put their words in their envelopes until they are ready to paste. They also may want to write the words they have cut out on the outside of the envelope so they know exactly what they have. 7. Teacher devotes students two class sessions to work on the activity, but allows them to work on the activity at home as well.


Item Two. SIMILE

Modeled Practice Introduce similes to students by writing the word boy on a chart, black/whiteboard, or overhead transparency. Ask, If I asked you to write a paragraph that describes a boy in detail, what kinds of details might you include in your descriptions? Students might say they would describe the boy’s physical characteristics (such as his height, the color of his eyes…) or they might describe the way he acts (worried, happy-go-lucky…). Give students time to share some other things they might describe about the boy as you list them for the class to see. If they state things such as how big he is you might start to elicit more detail by providing a question such as How big is he? Fill in this blank: The boy is as big as a ____.)

Next, write this sentence on a board or chart: 

   The boy is as _____ as _____.

Explain that sometimes a good writer might describe the boy by writing a simile about him. For example, students might have heard expressions such as

  1. The boy is as quiet as a mouse.
  2. The boy is as tall as a house.
  3. The boy is as happy as a kid at Christmastime.
  4. The boy’s eyes are as brown as chocolate.
  5. The boy was so embarrassed that he turned as red as a beet.

Those are similes. Similes compare the boy to something(s) else with which the reader might be familiar. That something else is often something very unlike the thing being described. For example, you might not ordinarily compare a boy to a house or a boy’s eyes to chocolate. But similes can help paint a more vivid picture than simply saying: The boy is quiet. Similes can be used to make writing more descriptive and interesting.

Give students some time to think of one of their own similes to describe a boy. They might do this as a class, or they might do it on their own and then share their similes during a sharing time.

Arrange students into groups or three or four. Post a sheet of chart paper at various “stations” around the classroom -- one sheet per group. On each sheet of chart paper, provide a statement the students can use to create similes. Some of the sample simile statements below include more information that others; some already include an adjective. But all the similes below include the as _____ as _____ format.

  1. His temper is as _____ as _____.
  2. The cookies tasted as bad as _____.
  3. The tree is as _____ as _____.
  4. Her smile was as _____ as _____.
  5. The drink was as _____ as _____.
  6. She was as excited as _____.
  7. My father is as _____ as _____.
  8. The puppy was as _____ as _____.
  9. He was as busy as _____.

Assign each group to a station. Give students a few minutes to brainstorm similes that complete the statement on the chart at that station. Encourage students to be creative, funny, sad… Have students in the group decide on the best simile they could brainstorm. A member of the group should write that simile under the statement on the chart paper.

Then rotate students so each group moves to the next station. Repeat the activity. The group must come up with their best simile for that statement and record it on the chart paper; it should be different from the one written by the previous group of students.

Continue rotating the groups until each group has added a new simile to each chart.

Check for Understanding Take time to share the results. Talk about some of the best similes. Ask students if they believe using similes in their writing might make their writing more interesting. After doing this exercise, most will agree that similes are a good tool for writing descriptively, vividly. You might point out that many similes contain the words as _____ as _____.

If you teach older students, you might mention that some similes take another format. The word like is often a sign of a simile when it is used to compare two unlike things. For example:

  1. He ran like a jaguar.
  2. Her blonde hair gleamed like a star in the sky.
  3. The eager boy acted like a puppy at dinnertime.
  4. The man charged through the crowd like a bulldozer.

(Resource is from: http://www.education-world.com/a_tsl/archives/07-1/lesson001.shtml)


Item Three. ONOMATOPOEIA

I like to teach onomatopoeia in context. For instance, through "Rikki-tikki-tavi" from Teacher's Edition Elements of Literature-Text Book- pg.: 20 I point out that Rikki-tikki-tavi's name sounds like rikk tchk, a war cry. I aks students to put down similar examples from the reading and their previous knowledge.

While reading "Aschenputtel" pg.: 595 I ask students: "What other words associated with birds, such as pick and pack, have sounds that suggest their meaning?" [Possible responses: cheep, chirp, squawk, tweet, titter, flutter.] To drill this technique I ask students to do a brainstorming activity with a partner. (See: "Projects and Activities").


Item Four. FORESHADOWING

I teach foreshadowing by pointing them out to students while reading a text. For instance, in "Rikki-tikki-tavi" by Ruyard Kipling we find the following foreshadowing: "Teddy's safer with that little beast than if he had a bloodhound to watch him. If a snake came into the nursery now -." Another example is the weapon in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I point out to students that if a weapon is mentioned in a literary peace they can be sure that it will be used sooner or later.


Item Five. Symbol

Frost, Robert. "The Runaway". Elements of Literature -text book- pgs.: 24-27

Assessment Strategies

Item One

The following criteria will be used to determine the project grade:

1. Were there 25 or more words on the page? 2. Were there complete sentences in the poem? 3. Did the sentences flow together keeping with one theme? 4. Were there three clear examples of alliteration? 5. Was it appropriate?

Resources

Item One

Teacher uses the following web sites to teach Alliteration: [[1]] [[2]] [[3]] [[4]]

Alliteration Activity: [[5]]

[Metaphor definition and examples]

[Metaphor exercises]


[Simile definition and examples]

[Simile Song]

[Simile Movie]

Students, you may also use this model while learning some of the literary techniques: [6]

[Poetry Writing Practice]

[Onomatopoeia definition and practice]

Projects and Activities

Item One

Students will create a headline poem using words that they have cut out from magazines and/or newspapers. The poem must contain at least 25 words, be written in complete sentences with correct punctuation, stick to one central theme, and contain at least three clear examples of alliteration. (For more details see: "Instructional Strategies").

Students are working in pairs on researching the definition of literary techniques. They also have to come up with a short activity for the class. Last year two students presenting onomatopoeia asked the class to stand in a circle and produce a sound that suggests its meaning. Students who could not come up with any onomatopoeia were out of the game. Students took turns until the three best onomatopoeia experts were left.


Item Three

As a follow-up activity on onomatopoeia I ask students to work with a partner and brainstorm on different animals. Then they have to choose four animals and put down, in five minutes, as many sounds that suggest their meaning as they can.

Item Five

(See "Instructional Strategies").

Item Six

[Go to: 269. Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt]

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