MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Magical Musical Tour: Using Lyrics to Teach Literary Elements
Language arts learners don't need a lecture about poetry; they listen to poetry every day on the radio! Apply skills from literary analysis to famous songs and beautiful lyrics with a lesson about literary devices. As...
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Poetry in Music
Sixth graders look at poetry in music. In this language arts instructional activity, 6th graders listen to and read the lyrics of songs to find the poetic aspects of them. They focus on similes and metaphors and write their own songs...
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Slices of American Pie: The 1960s Through Music
Eleventh graders examine political, cultural, and social movements through music. In this 1960s American history lesson, 11th graders explore the music of the decade in order to better understand the complexity of the time period....
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Musical Poetry
Students analyze lyrics of their favorite songs as examples of alliteration, metaphor, Onomatopoeia, personification, rhyme, and simile to determine the purpose of these devices in poetry. They use their analysis to create a presentation...
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Fairness Metaphor
Students write a metaphor. In this descriptive writing lesson, students define metaphor. Students come up with a creative metaphor to describe their feelings about fair practices related to music downloads.
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Simile And Metaphor
Students engage in a lesson about metaphor and simile while using them in different contexts. They are asked to share some samples that are designed by them to other members of the class. Students practice writing them with the help of...
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Metaphors in Literature
Eighth graders analyze literature and the use of metaphors. In this metaphors activity, 8th graders view and discuss the examples of metaphors. Students complete the phrases by writing in a metaphor.
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Music from a Place Called Half Moon
Students read the novel, Music from a Place Called Half Moon. They are assigned chapters to analyze for literary elements and to assign titles to the book chapters.
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The Poet's Toolbox
If you need a lesson for your poetry unit, use two poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ("Rain in Summer" and "The Slave in the Dismal Swamp") and a resource on Elements of Poetry. The lesson plan guides you through activities...
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Rock & Roll through Literary Terms: An Upbeat Lyrical Adventure
Learners participate in a variety of activities surrounding Rock & Roll music, lyrics, drama and visual art and how they all help demonstrate examples of literary terms. They use Rock & Roll as an effective aid to stimulate their...
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Parrot in the Oven: Instructional Routine
After reading "The Bullet," a particularly intense chapter in Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida, class members listen to the Spanish and the English versions of "Dimelo" by Enrique Iglesias. They then discuss how the...
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Laundry List of Idioms
Fifth graders think of idioms related to laundry as they create a laundry list of idioms.
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Flowers, Flowers, Flowers...A Visit with Georgia O'Keeffe
Students analyze, discuss, and research Georgia O'Keeffe and her flower paintings. They select a flower to paint and create a watercolor painting in the style of Georgia O'Keeffe. Students compose a poem describing their painting.
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The Dream Getaway
Students observe images of amazing places, either real, or imagined by Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, and Ansel Adams. They think about a time when they wanted to escape and where they wanted to go. They draw their getaway and then...
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Exploring All Frontiers
Young scholars utilize higher thinking skills to expand their self concept to include physical, cognitive, and affective frontiers. The teacher create activities which allow students to use raw data and primary sources, as well as...
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Author Study
Students examine and identify the characteristics of the different genres of literature. After being read and reading various stories, they identify how different books by the same author carry the same story elements. They discuss how...
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It's Symbolic!
Students use symbols to represent different government and economic systems. They explain how the nonprofit organizations and governments work together to supply needs. They interview a foreign exchange student and complete a chart with...