Figure of Speech Teacher Resources
A great lesson in hand is worth two in the planner!
That may not be the exact figure of speech, but you’ll find the original—plus many, many more—in Lesson Planet’s teacher-selected collection of language arts resources. Ideal for English learners, mainstream students, and young authors, our lessons and classroom materials are perfect for a focus on idioms.
Introduce figures of speech to the class with a rundown of over 200 idioms listed in alphabetical order. Challenge language arts students to a PowerPoint game in which they match idioms to their literal meanings, or get more in-depth with figures of speech with an engaging lesson.
When in doubt, focus on food! A lesson on food-related idioms is sure to entice hungry writers. For older students, a worksheet that features popular figures of speech in the works of William Shakespeare is a great way to bring literary analysis into a literature lesson.
We’ll cut to the chase: when you’re down to the wire when planning a unit on idioms, keep your chin up. You’ll go head over heels for our high-quality resources—and no, we’re not pulling your leg!
Showing 1,451 resources
Curated OER
Figures of Speech Slide Show
This slide show on figures of speech includes definitions, images, and examples from real texts for several common terms: metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, irony, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, and imagery. The presentation is...
Curated OER
Figures of Speech: Quiz 2
Hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and personification are spotlighted on an online/interactive quiz. Test takers read short passages and then identify the figures of speech used.
Curated OER
Figures of Speech
Give your learners quick definitions of simile, metaphor, and analogy. As the first slide in this PowerPoint suggests, you can use the presentation as a warm-up and have scholars record the words and their meanings in a Literary Terms...
Curated OER
Figures of Speech Quotes and Examples
Providing several examples of figures of speech, such as irony, paradox, and personification, this presentation could complement your lecture on pragmatic humor or humor in writing. Examples from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in...
Curated OER
Let's Focus on Idioms
Get online and explore idioms. Your class will use the Internet to locate, choose, and illustrate their favorite idioms. They make a class PowerPoint with illustrations for their idioms and explain the meaning of each. A great way to...
Curated OER
Flora and Fauna as Figures of Speech
What a lovely way to incorporate artwork into your language arts lesson. View artwork in illustrated manuscript pages, depicting insects, animals, plants, flowers, and ornate writing in the Getty Museum. Practice using figurative...
Curated OER
Common Idioms 5
If you have been analyzing idioms, you can assess your learners' grasp of their figurative meanings with this 10-question matching exercise. Or you could give the sheet to groups to foster discussion about literal versus figurative...
Curated OER
Idioms: Get the Ball Rolling
Based on books written by Fred Gwynne, particularly A Little Pigeon Toad, this resource connects the language of idioms and figures of speech with visuals that make explicit the often humorous connections between the literal and...
Curated OER
Figures of Speech Presentation
If used as part of an exploration of figures of speech, this short presentation defining similes, metaphors, and analogies could be used as a review tool in an English classroom. A teacher could augment this resource with more examples...
Curated OER
Idioms Quiz: Animals 2
Kill two birds with one stone with a worksheet that not only gives practice using idioms but also has a technology link as well. Learners answer the 10 multiple choice questions of an online interactive quiz about the meaning of idioms...
Curated OER
Idioms Quiz: Anatomy-Based Expressions
An online worksheet provides opportunities to assess comprehension of 10 common adages based on anatomy vocabulary. Learners complete a multiple choice quiz (and can check answers with a single click) about the meaning of common...
Curated OER
Reading the Play
Do figures of speech enhance a play or story? In small groups, learners locate and describe figures of speech they find while reading a reader's theater play. After making predictions, they describe how the figures of speech make the...
Curated OER
Poetry in Depth
Scholars use technology to explore poetry and its related elements, such as theme, figures of speech, and other literary devices. They complete four poetry projects including a poem analysis with a concept web, an interactive poem...
Curated OER
Edward Lear, Limericks, and Nonsense
Introduce your class to the delights of nonsense poetry and explore literary devices with the writing of Edward Lear. Learners identify rhyme and meter as well as figures of speech, alliteration, and onomatopoeia in "The Owl and the...
Think Map
Shakespearean Idioms
How do you react if you're "hot-blooded?" What happens when you engage in a "wild goose chase?" And what are "salad days?" Use this worksheet and the online Visual Thesaurus to answer these questions and more. Based on...
Curated OER
Figures of Speech
Second and third graders explore similes and metaphors. They complete six sentences by choosing the correct word to complete the sentence.
Curated OER
Idioms
Here is a simple list of 21 idioms for which learners are supposed to write the figurative meanings. I'd extend it to include either drawing pictures or group discussions to build meaning rather than just assigning it as individual work.
Curated OER
Idiom Quizzes - Animals
Following an exhaustive list of animal idioms, metaphors, and similes (categorized by animal), an online interactive quiz checks reader facility with their use. In each of 20 questions, a sentence has a definition for one expression in...
Curated OER
Animal Idioms
A six question, multiple choice, on-line interactive exercise asks learners to identify the meaning of animal idioms. A little bird told me the answers can be accessed with a click of a button.
Curated OER
Hyperbole and Idiom
Seventh graders use context clues to determine the figurative meaning of idioms and hyperboles. They practice writing idioms and hyperboles in sentences about real life situations around them. This instructional activity is a good way to...
Curated OER
Eating Up Idioms
Ah, food idioms! Now that sounds tasty. Class members read and discuss various food-related idioms, create an illustration of a food-related idiom, and develop a class book or bulletin board to celebrate figurative language and National...
Curated OER
Knowledge of Idioms
What is an idiom, and why is it necessary that we know and understand them? This brief PowerPoint helps answer these questions by looking at examples and offering a strategy for reading new text that might contain an idiom. The final...
Curated OER
Idioms in Everyday Language
Learners describe idioms and their use in everyday language. They describe the difference between literal and idiomatic meanings. In groups, students use iPhoto to create books that explain and illustrate a variety of idioms describing...
Curated OER
Irish Idioms Exercise
Whether or not it’s St. Patrick’s Day, whether or not your pupils are studying the Gaeilge, they will have a great fun with this worksheet of Irish Idioms. An answer sheet is provided. That’s grand!
