Figurative Language is as Fun as Recess!

Hello sixth graders! Thank you for working hard during yesterday’s class about figurative language. We learned many new terms together. Let’s review them here:

  • Simile: a comparison between two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’
    • “He ran like a cheetah.”
    • “After a day at the beach, my face was as red as a tomato.”
  • Metaphor: a comparison between two things without using ‘like’ or ‘as’
    • “He was a cheetah when he ran.”
    • “After a day at the beach, my face was a red tomato.”
  • Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things
    • “The flowers danced in the wind.”
    • “The stars in the sky winked at me.”

There are many other types of figurative language, but these are the three we will be focusing on this week. For today’s homework assignment, you will create your own similes, metaphors, and personifications! First up, we have similes.

Similes

For our similes, we are going to take inspiration from the image below. Look carefully at the image and focus on any details that stand out to you. You can focus on colors, shapes, emotions, and anything else you notice!

Photo by Luca Micheli on Unsplash

Use this Jamboard (click here for the link!) to write down the simile you created on slide 1. Please be respectful of fellow your classmates’ responses! Here are some of the similes we have so far:

Metaphors

Next, we will create metaphors. Remember, metaphors are like similes because they both compare two things. However, metaphors do not use ‘like’ or ‘as’ because they are direct comparisons. Let’s use a new picture to spark some ideas for our own metaphors!

Use the next slide of our Jamboard to write down your metaphor. This will be on slide 2. Be creative and feel free to use the examples from your peers if you are having trouble making your own! Let’s look at some metaphors our friends wrote:

Personification

The last type of figurative language we learned about is personification. Use the image below to create one! Look for any part of the tree (this can be its branches, roots, and leaves) or the sun that looks like it is doing something that humans normally do.

Once you have your personification, add it to slide three of our Jamboard. Personifications can be difficult to make, so do not worry if you’re having trouble. Just try your best and have fun with it! Here are some examples of personifications we’ve written so far:

Conclusion

By the end of this activity, you should have created a simile, metaphor, and personification. Figurative language takes a lot of brainpower, huh? But it makes reading and writing way more interesting and fun! Tomorrow, we’ll continue reviewing figurative language, so don’t worry if you’re still a little confused about it. We’ll also look at the finished Jamboards to read all the awesome things we wrote! Great job, friends!

Featured image credit: Photo by Vika Strawberrika on Unsplash

4 Replies to “Figurative Language is as Fun as Recess!”

  1. Hi Lannie!
    This is a great idea for a 6th grade lesson. The way that you incorporated the jamboard is creative and engaging. Many students that I have worked with in the past tend to get mixed up with similes, metaphors, and personification. By using the jamboard website students can collaborate and put all of their ideas on one slide and refer back to this if they need a refresher before an assessment on these terms! This is definitely something I would like to use in my future classroom.

  2. Lannie, I really like this lesson. It’s a great way for students to learn these terms and the teacher voice is supportive as well. I especially like the images you have chosen. Very visually compelling and great catalysts for student work.

    While they are excellent representations of each term, I wonder if in actually use you might have another set of images that give students a “fresh” photo to work on? Might also be interesting to try each term on the same image to see how meanings compare.

    So many great directions to build on your model. Excellent

  3. Lannie, I knew this was your lesson before I even saw your name! Your posts always have great pictures, amazingly creative ideas, and fun & intriguing lessons! I think you will cultivate students’ passion for language and writing and create lifelong learners. Great job!

  4. Lannie, I love your fun title! It’s a great idea to use Jamboard as a way to have students be creative and write figurative language. Great lesson and use of Jamboard!

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