Figurative Language Lessons
Hyperbole
Personification
Figurative Language

Figurative Language Extensions
Extensions

Figurative Language Download
Complete Figurative Language Unit

Lesson Overview

The purpose of the lessons in this unit is to help Ohio students in grades 3-7 learn the characteristics of the literary text FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE indicators that they must master for their respective Ohio achievement tests. Special care has been taken to dovetail the lessons with the indicators and the types of questions commonly asked on Ohio tests. 

Ohio Academic Content Indicators

2001.EL.S05.G04-07.BG.L05.I08  
Identify and explain the use of figurative language in literary works, including idioms, similes, hyperboles, metaphors and personification.

2001.EL.S05.G04-07.BG.L06.I07  
Distinguish how an author establishes mood and meaning through word choice, figurative language and syntax.

2001.EL.S05.G04-07.BG.G07.I07  
Interpret how mood or meaning is conveyed through word choice, figurative language and syntax.

Ohio Achievement/Proficiency Tests
Figurative Language Question Types

• The author used the words “xxxx.” What do the words mean?
• The author used the words “xxxx.” What is the author describing?
• Choose the feeling expressed in Quotation X from the selection.
• The author wrote “xxxx” about Character Y. What do the words suggest about Character Y?
• Given a list of quotations from the figurative language used in the selection, choose the quotation that means “xxx.”
• The author used the words “xxxx.” Given a list of different types of figurative language, chose the type represented by the author’s words.
• What feeling is expressed by the words “xxxx?” Support you answer with y number of details from the selection.

Johnny Appleseed
Episode Overview

The episode begins with some factual information about Johnny Appleseed who traveled through Ohio selling and giving away apple trees and apple seeds. The tall tale portion of the episode finds Johnny dealing with a giant bear with a thorn bush stuck in its paw – and then the jealous Ant brothers, Ignor Ant and Arrog Ant.

Access this episode's Before Viewing and After Viewing discussion guides by downloading the complete unit guide.

Figurative language Lesson

Hyperbole

Materials:

• Internet access (Optional)

Procedure:

• Have the students define hyperbole and explain its use in literary text. Help the students if they need help with the definition or the explanation.
• Visit the Worley School’s website on Hyperbole.
• http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/
  hyperbole/hyperbole2.html
• The site lists contributions by visitors who have completed sentences with hyperboles. A few of the sentence starters are “My sister uses so much makeup…,” “My teacher is so old…,” “My dog is so ugly…”
• Other sites with hyperbole examples are:



• Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole 
• Hyperbole http://www.examples-help.org.uk/hyperbole.htm



• Create your own sentence starter(s) and challenge the students to finish them creatively, vividly.
• Hold a Hyperbole Throw Down to share student examples. Challenge listeners to identify hyperboles that are similes or metaphors.
• Have the students create vivid hyperbole to replace the “Johnny Appleseed” storyteller’s description of:
• The amount Paul Bunyon could eat – “Nobody, except maybe one of his GIANT friends like Paul Bunyan, could eat a whole tree of apples all at the same time.”
• The size of a giant bear – “It was a GIANT bear that came into view.  Larger than any bear Johnny had ever seen.  He was so large, he was at least 100 FEET TALL and just as wide too!”

Personification

Materials:

• A brief literary text that demonstrates personification. Click here for ideas and suggestions.

Procedure:

• Define personification (or have it students define it) and explain its use in literary text.
• Choose a brief literary text that demonstrates personification. The following websites have examples:
• "Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room" by William Blake, "April Rain Song" by Langston Hughes, and "The Sky is Low" by Emily Dickinson
  http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112392/
  personificationclassics.html
• "Summer Grass" by Carl Sandburg at
  http://www.missspott.com/personification.html
• Student Poems at
  http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us/cunniff/
  4grdpoetry/personification.html
• Personification lesson and worksheet for grades 5 and above at: http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/bedford/harrisms/lesson7.htm
• Have the students locate examples of personification in the text and identify the object being personified.
• Have the students select one or more of the examples and describe the object without using personification.

Figurative Language

Materials:

• Internet Access

Ideas and Suggestions: Each of the links below leads to a website that addresses more than one type of figurative language.

• Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Figurative Language Assignment. Students are provided three readings and complete charts to identify two examples of symbolism, two examples of imagery, and two examples of hyperbole for each reading. The charts also require students to interpret the meaning (not applicable for imagery) and the author’s purpose of each.
  Part I: a fictional journal entry
  >
  Part II: the short story “A Retrieved Reformation” by O.Henry
  
  Part III: the poem “Discovery” by Marion Dane Bauer
  http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/ModelCurriculum/
  mining_for_meaning/summative_assessment.htm

• Examples of Figures of Speech, Terminology & Definitions. Scroll down the page to find the table. Select links from the table:
  http://www.examples-help.org.uk/

• “The Poetics of Robert Frost – Examples of Figurative Language”
  http://www.frostfriends.org/figurative.html

• “Mining for Meaning” – Figurative Language Grade 7 Lesson
  http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/curriculum/
  ModelCurriculum/mining_for_meaning/

• “Figurative Language,” Separate pages for Alliteration, Metaphor, Hyperbole, Personification, Idiom, and Simile. http://www.missspott.com/figurativelanguage.html