This poem guide from the Poetry Foundation allows students to gain a deeper understanding of an ancient Arabic form, re-envisioned by a contemporary poet.
In this lesson, students explore literature and try to describe the ways humor plays a role. Students consider the rhetorical devices involved in creating humor before searching for them in texts.
How do metaphors help us better understand the world? And, what makes a good metaphor? Explore these questions with writers like Langston Hughes and Carl Sandburg who have mastered the art of bringing a scene or emotion to life in this 5 minute lesson.
Students match the character traits of a character in a book they are reading with specific actions the character takes. Students then work in pairs to "become" one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters, using Internet reference tools to compile lists of accurate, powerful adjectives supported with details from the reading. The lesson uses The Scarlet Letter as an example, but this activity is effective with any work of literature in which characterization is important.
As a way to support teachers with English Language Arts (ELA) instruction during the pandemic, the NCDPI ELA team created choice boards featuring standards-aligned ELA activities.The intended purpose of these choice boards is to provide a way for students to continue standards-based learning while schools are closed. Each activity can be adapted and modified to be completed with or without the use of digital tools. Many activities can also be repeated with different texts. These standards-based activities are meant to be a low-stress approach to reinforcing and enriching the skills learned during the 2019-2020 school year. The choice boards are to be used flexibly by teachers, parents, and students in order to meet the unique needs of each learner.Exploration activities are provided for a more self-directed or guided approach to independent learning for students. These activities and sites should be used as a way to explore concepts, topics, skills, and social and emotional competencies that interest the learner.
In this lesson, students review types of figurative language before examining poetry to find real examples of figurative language in use.
This activity engages students in an analysis of the 2008 speech by Barack Obama on race. Students will then create an annotated version of the speech that has them analyze and comment upon Obama's use of history, rhetoric, and language in his message. Students can also create a hypertext of this assignment in order to publish works in different media.
George Orwell's experiences as a policemen for the British Empire in India formed the basis for his early writings, including this essay. After receiving some background information on British rule in Burma as well as on Orwell, students will read the essay in order to analyze its use of metaphors, symbolism and irony.
Activities and worksheets on the use and identification of hyperbole.
Activities and worksheets on the use and identification of idioms.
This lesson looks at the song lyrics of Bruce Springsteen as lyrical poetry. Students analyze his use of imagery, hyperbole, and vivid language in his songs, then write lines of their own lyrics that use similar language.
Two-minute video that defines dramtic irony.
This resource includes a lesson and two accompanying activities designed to assist learners with working with metaphors on a deeper level. Beginning with a quick review, the lesson directs learners to read noted poetry and analyze deeper meaning within given metaphors. As a culminating activity, learners are asked to write their own metaphors using abstract concepts while bein provided mediums for comparison.
"To Build a Fire" is an excellent example of American literary naturalism. In this multi-day lesson students will perfrom close-reading analyses of this classic short story as they study the use of point of view to create a narrative. Students will also debate the distinction between knowledge and instinct using textual evidence.
In this lesson on Oedipus the King, students will engage with the key details established in the crime of Laius's murder as described by Creon, focusing on how these details shape and define the central idea of fate.
Students will read, match, and write words and phrases to form oxymorons. Students will then write to explain why the phrases are oxymorons. This resource supports English language development for English language learners.
Students will read, identify, write to create, and write to explain examples of oxymoron. This resource supports English language development for English language learners.
This unit contains a series a poetry lessons and poem suggestions on the poetry of war. Students will read and closely analyze several 'poems of war' and write their own poem as a culminating activity.
In this lesson, students refresh their understanding of the parts of speech before completing a fun activity to reinforce their knowledge. Students make wante posters of themselves using exciting adjectives to describe themselves.
In this lesson based on "Letter One" from Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet, students will explore how Rilke uses metaphor to discuss ideas about art.