Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Raining Cats and Dogs! Literary Devices and Figurative Language

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Third and fourth graders study literary devices and figurative language. They view a PowerPoint presentation (which you must create) to review hyperbole, idiom, simile, and metaphor. They read and discuss the book There's A Frog in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Figurative and literal language through the study of Shakespeare

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore figurative and literal language. They study literary devices through short pieces of Shakespeare's work. Then investigate Shakespeare's works and life.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry in Depth

For Teachers 6th - 9th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Similes and Metaphors

For Teachers 5th
Reward your class with tasty treats while teaching them about simile and metaphor. After a teacher demo and explanation of simile and metaphor, pupils read books, looking for examples of these literary devices and copying them down....
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Locating Archetypes in Pop Culture, Literature, and Life

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Archetypes help readers connect literature to the world around them. A lesson plan uses elements of pop culture to teach about archetypal traits of common characters  and discuss issues of perception and other literary devices. At...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Poetic Devices: Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays" and Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine how Robert Hayden and Theodore Roethke incorporate poetic devices to convey meaning in the poems, 'Those Winter Sundays,' and 'My Papa's Waltz.' They listen to audio clips, explore websites, and write an analysis...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Shooting An Elephant": George Orwell's Essay on His Life in Burma

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High school readers examine George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" for examples of symbolism, metaphor, connotation, and irony. They analyze how these literary tools convey the writer's main point and contribute to the persuasive...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revising/Editing (3-5): Editing Marks. Part II and Literary Tools. Part II

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Familiarize your class with commonly used editing marks. They apply the use of editing marks to a letter and examine different types of literary tools before making a note card resource for the tools. They add their own examples for each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry of The Great War: 'From Darkness to Light'?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine World War I poetry for historical context, poetic devices, and participate in a class discussion. They write an analysis of the poetry's form and its content.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Tell-Tale Heart

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Bring Edgar Allan Poe's spooky story to life! After reading the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart," middle and high schoolers identify the theme, character traits, irony, and other story concepts. During pre-reading, they take notes,...
Activity
Curated OER

Poetry Project

For Teachers 8th
Choosing a poet or a theme, eighth graders conduct research in the world of poetry. They conduct Internet research and select five poems that fit their poet or theme, and create a seven slide PowerPoint presentation on their selected...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering Language Arts-Intermediate Fiction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Explore the elements of science fiction. Middle schoolers investigate the literary elements present in science fiction and write their own science fiction stories.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Take my Advice": Poems with a Voice

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Discuss the meaning of the phrase tone of voice with the class. They respond to a variety of scenarios where a particular tone would be prevalent. They then read "Mother to Son" without knowing the title and answer some questions about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The 1,000,000 Pound Bank Note" by Mark Twain

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Compare real events from Mark Twain's life to events in the story. Middle school readers identify point-of-view, its purpose, and its reliability by citing two examples. They describe the tone of the story using four examples and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneer Values in Willa Cather's My Antonia

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Included in this resource are a variety of activities to do while reading Willa Cather's My Antonia. The activities, which range from mapping out Nebraska to writing activities about pioneer living, are all designed with one...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Monster of a Metaphor

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What do Jeep advertisements and Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath have in common? They both employ the art of the extended metaphor! Using the Six-Trait Writing model, learners begin to work on their own extended metaphors. Development...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging Deep for Figurative Language (Hyperbole)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What are hyperboles? Examine the attributes of hyperboles with your high school classes. Pupils read selected poems and prose selections that feature hyperboles and discuss their functions in each work of literature. Specific poems and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Irony

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What are the three types of irony? High schoolers engage in a lesson about the use of irony while reading O.Henry's short story "Gift of the Magi." They'll discuss rising action, climax, and resolution in the text before highlighting the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seating Device Design

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and analyze different seating devices. Once research is completed, information is compiled into a research paper including examples, images, and descriptions of seating devices. Students use research to sketch and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modernism in Poetry, Painting, and Music

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Are you teaching Modernism to your class? Connect different areas of artistic expression in the Modernist Era. Learners read T.S. Eliot, view art by Pablo Picasso, and listen to a Modernist musical composition. This final assignment is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Power Poetry

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students use poetic devices to discuss political issues. In this cultural diversity instructional activity, students listen to the president's State of the Union address and write poetic pieces that express their opinions about issues...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Personified

For Teachers 5th - 12th
In 1856 Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beat Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts over the head with a cane. This event, which highlighted the acrimonious debate over the expansion of slavery, is the focus of a paper...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

This Isn't Your Little Sister's Poetry: Analyzing and Understanding a Variety of Acclaimed Poets

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders are introduced to various basic and advanced poetic devices. They read several poems and practice identifying poetic elements. They identify at least two different poems and substantiate why they belong in the canon.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Informative Essay Writing

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
High schoolers start by drawing Mr. Essay Man, who is supposed to illustrate the different parts of an essay. After discussing what each component should contain, writers start their essay, guided by the teacher and class discussion....