Zora Neale Hurston's beautiful language in Their Eyes Were Watching God is not only a pleasure to read, it helps to further the plot and character development. Once your class has finished Chapter 6 of the novel, have them discuss...

Here's a richly detailed unit, designed for second graders, that focuses on decoding figurative language, including similes, metaphors, personification and idioms.

A definitive resource for your figurative language unit includes several worksheets and activities to reinforce writing skills. It addresses poetic elements such as simile and metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and idioms, and...

The Olmec were an ancient people native to Mexico who lived from 1000-500 BC. Young artists examine the Olmec piece Seated Figure to analyze the use of body language to communicate a tone or feeling. They then use clay or play-dough to...

When it comes to learning a language and literacy, understanding nonverbal communication is often as important as verbal communication. An interactive body language activity incorporates role play to demonstrate the difference between...

Examine figurative language through the words of Ursula K. Le Guin in her novel A Wizard of Earthsea. The fifth instructional activity in a series of ten, the steps listed here ask pupils to go back into the text and find a striking...

What will your class members see in Sylvia Plath's "Mirror"? After reading the poem, learners engage in a Socratic seminar prompted by the provided questions. Individuals then create an illustration, focusing on the personification and...

Support young scholars' oral language development with the use of four early childhood activities. To reinforce proficiency, pupils read with an adult, play a game of telephone with their peers, put on a play with puppets or stuffed...

Sure to engage your class in poetry, this resource requires them to identify, label, and explain poetic devices and figurative language used in Katy Perry's hit song "Firework". A well-organized page that chunks the lyrics so learners...

Amy Tan uses vivid figurative language to deepen and enrich her writing. Use the fifth of ten lessons on The Joy Luck Club to demonstrate the impact of figurative language, particularly similes and metaphors, on plot and character. Young...

Play a figurative language game! Starting with a review of terms, this presentation quickly launches into a quiz game with hyper-linked answers. Simply click an answer to find out if it's wrong or right. The option to try again is always...

How can you teach a text to a group of readers who struggling with the language? The second in a set of three ESL lessons related to Theme 4: Problem Solvers engages English language learners by introducing vocabulary and grammar...

Your high schoolers are probably versed in two languages: formal language, and informal conversation. Help them identify the correct language style for their audience and context with a thorough lesson plan and examples of different...

How figurative language effects the tone and meaning in Chapter Three of Christopher Paul Curtis' Bud, Not Buddy is the focus of a series of exercises that ask readers to locate record, and analyze Curtis' word choices.

Individuals utilize the strategies practiced in the previous instructional activity to complete a mid-unit assessment on  figurative language and how Christopher Paul Curtis uses word choice to create meaning in Bud, Not Buddy.

Explore figurative language with your secondary class. Extending a language arts unit, the lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine how an author's word choice establishes a story's tone, possibly using metaphors, similes,...

College-level writers learn the importance of using academic language in their papers and essays. Assessing the audience is an important aspect of choosing the language with which one writes. Review these 10 slides to make sure each...

Miley Cyrus' "Driveway" provides young lyricists with an opportunity to identify figurative language in songs. After a guided practice exercise, individuals use the provided worksheets to find examples in the song and to add images to...

Figures of speech, sensory details, and academic language are all targeted while reading Chapter Two of J. Ferris’ Go Free or Die. First, learners engage in an exercise to practice describing with detail. Then, partners use a chart to...

Shakespeare was such a talented writer, but why? It must be his use of figurative language, blended with his clever, twisting plots. This worksheet focuses on his use of metaphor, simile, personification, oxymoron, and hyperbole within...

I can remember what happened five years ago, but I can't recall what I did last week! High school psychology students analyze how memory, cognition, and language impact one another. Hands-on activities, memory exercises, and research...

Read a sample of creative descriptive writing to your science class. Discuss how writing can be used to record and communicate observations that scientists make. Reading selections and thought-provoking questions are suggested. Also...

Explore literary devices and figurative language using higher level examples. The 33 slides here define common types of figurative language (like simile, metaphor, personification, etc.), and then focus on specific examples in...

In order to understand figurative language, learners read 5 poems, each exemplifying a different literary device. They discuss and write responses to each poem. They then choose one literary device which they will use as the basis for a...