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Analyzing Figurative Language and Imagery in Poetry

Lesson Plan

Analyzing Figurative Language and Imagery in Poetry

Objectives

This lesson builds on students’ experience in evaluating the effectiveness of figurative language. Students will:

  • identify figurative language and analyze the purpose and effectiveness of its use.
  • identify imagery in poetry and analyze the purpose and effectiveness of its use.

Essential Questions

How do learners develop and refine their vocabulary?
How do readers know what to believe in what they read, hear, and view?
How do strategic readers create meaning from informational and literary text?
How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
What is this text really about?
What strategies and resources do I use to figure out unknown vocabulary?
What strategies and resources does the learner use to figure out unknown vocabulary?
Why learn new words?
  • How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
  • Why learn new words?
  • What strategies and resources does the learner use to figure out unknown vocabulary?
  • How do learners develop and refine their vocabulary?

Vocabulary

  • Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.
  • Hyperbole: An exaggeration or overstatement.
  • Imagery: A word or group of words in a literary work that appeals to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell.
  • Figurative Language: Language that cannot be taken literally because it was written to create a special effect or feeling.
  • Metaphor: A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object.
  • Onomatopoeia: The use of a word to suggest or mimic specific sounds.
  • Personification: An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form.
  • Simile: A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used.
  • Mood: The prevailing emotions of a work or of the author in his or her creation of the work.

Duration

50–100 minutes/1–2 class periods

Prerequisite Skills

Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.

Materials

  • Francis, Robert. “The Base Stealer” http://www.poemsbypost.com/?p=945  “How to Eat a Poem” by Eve Merriam, “Dreams” by Langston Hughes, and “Oh Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman would all be easy to understand and demonstrate a variety of techniques.
  • Teachers may substitute other poems to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity.
  • student copies of the Figurative Language Review worksheet (L-8-2-2_ Figurative Language Review.doc) and a computer projection

Related Unit and Lesson Plans

Related Materials & Resources

The possible inclusion of commercial websites below is not an implied endorsement of their products, which are not free, and are not required for this lesson plan.

 

Formative Assessment

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    • During the lesson, keep the focus on identification of figurative language (simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole) in the poem, as well as on the use of imagery.
      • Use quick-feedback techniques, such as a round-robin quiz at the beginning or end of class, to have each student give an example of figurative language or imagery.
      • Through students’ analysis of “The Base Stealer,” determine whether they can describe the purpose and effectiveness of the use of figurative language.
      • Use the Figurative Language Review to determine whether students can identify examples of figurative language. Provide additional opportunities for practice when needed.

Suggested Instructional Supports

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    Active Engagement, Modeling, Explicit Instruction
    W: Help students identify and evaluate the effect of figurative language on the meaning of a text. 
    H: Give students opportunities to analyze the effects of figurative language. 
    E: Provide opportunities for students to explore figurative language and imagery in poetry. 
    R: Help students extend their knowledge of figurative language by using examples from “The Base Stealer.” 
    E: Have students evaluate their understanding of the use of figurative language by checking their work against the group consensus in class discussions. 
    T: Provide learning activities based on students’ instructional reading levels and incorporate extension activities for all levels by suggesting materials for further practice as well as more rigorous materials to extend thinking to a higher level.  
    O: The learning activities in this lesson provide for large-group instruction and discussion, small-group exploration, partner interaction, and individual application of the concepts. 

Instructional Procedures

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    Focus Question: How do authors use figurative language and imagery in poetry to create meaning?

    Ask volunteers to explain what it means to steal a base in baseball. (If no one volunteers, explain that a runner on a base looks for an opportunity to advance to, or “steal,” the next base as the pitcher is delivering a pitch to the batter at home plate.)

    Say, “We are going to read a poem that captures this event.”

    Read aloud the poem “The Base Stealer,” by Robert Francis. Ask students the following questions:

    • “What is the setting of the poem?” (Although the setting is not described in detail, the title suggests that it is a baseball game.)
    • “What is happening in the poem?” (The poet describes the moments when the baseball runner anticipates stealing a base and then takes action.)
    • “How does the poet help you understand what is happening?” (The poet vividly describes the event through imagery and figurative language.)                      

    Say, “You have previously learned about different types of figurative language. Let’s review the types of figurative language as well as imagery used in the poem.” Give each student a copy of the Figurative Language Review (L-8-2-2_ Figurative Language Review.doc). Read aloud the definitions of types of figurative language and give students time to ask questions if necessary. Ask students to find as many examples as possible of each type of figurative language in the poem. Tell them that they may not find an example of each in this poem, but that the review will assist them in studying other poems.

    Do one or more of the following:

    • Have partners find examples of figurative language, and then combine the examples from the class to project on a computer screen or interactive whiteboard.
    • Assign different students a specific type of figurative language to search for. Have students meet with partners before checking their answers with you.
    • As a class, look for examples of figurative language together. Then discuss and write approved answers on the board/interactive whiteboard.

    For sample appropriate answers, see the Figurative Language Review in the Resources folder. You might provide other examples for clarification.

    After students complete the worksheet, ask, “How does the use of figurative language help create the mood of the poem?” (It is exciting and suspenseful; the player has moments of uncertainty; the player is full of anticipation.) Have students provide evidence from the poem by citing examples of words or phrases that create mood. (uncertainty: going on and back; anticipation: running a scattering of steps; taunts them)

    Then examine the effects of the figurative language on the poem’s meaning. Say, “The author uses several similes to describe the base stealer. What do they suggest?” (Comparing to a tightrope walker creates suspense and uncertainty—will he make it or not? Comparing the player’s movement to a dropped ball and a kid skipping rope helps readers see the movement of the player and increases suspense, anticipation, and conveys the player’s nervousness. Hovering “like an ecstatic bird” makes the player seem like he is about to take flight and shows that he is excited, even thrilled about the moment.) Say, “The author uses alliteration several times. How does the alliteration contribute to the meaning of the poem?” (supports the fast pace of the event, emphasizes the player’s movements)

    Finally, identify examples of imagery in the poem. Point out that the imagery gives the reader a visual perspective of the player’s actions as well as contributes to the excitement and tension in the poem. Help students understand that the figurative language and imagery are integral to the poem’s meaning and the experience of reading it.

    Offer a literal interpretation of the event: “A baseball player is trying to steal a base and has to decide whether to go for it or not. At the end, he decides to run to the base.” Ask students what is missing from this interpretation (the tension, the excitement, the visual appearance of the player). Help students see that because figurative language is not meant to be taken literally, it creates layers of meaning through what it suggests.

    After reading “The Base Stealer,” have students who need additional practice work in pairs to find examples of figurative language and imagery used in other poems.

    Extension:

    Observe students and note which students might need opportunities for additional learning. Provide additional help as needed.

    • If the problem is figurative language, demonstrate its use with an obvious example. If you say that you’d rather walk through fire than go to your piano lesson, you don’t mean that literally. You are using figurative language—hyperbole or exaggeration—to make a point. If necessary, give similar, easy-to-grasp examples for simile, metaphor, and personification.
    • Students who have difficulty with imagery can be directed to imagery-rich poems such as “After Apple Picking” by Robert Frost or “I’ll tell you how the sun rose” by Emily Dickinson. Guide them to seek images in the poems that appeal to the five senses. Then ask them to think about an event or object and use one or more of their senses to write a description of it. Tell them that they are creating their own imagery.
    • To provide additional practice with mood, have students list several words that describe the mood of a text (e.g., humorous, mysterious, melancholy). Then have them write or find examples of words or phrases that create the mood. (e.g., humorous: laughter, silliness, light-heartedness)
    • Have students who are ready to move beyond the standard read “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes (or similar poem). As a class, discuss the metaphor in the poem and what the metaphor suggests. (Life is compared to climbing a rugged staircase; the metaphor suggests that although life presents many challenges, people must keep moving forward.) Have students write “Life is . . .” on a sheet of paper and list five things they would compare life to. (Examples: a race, a ship in the sea, a never-ending story) List the metaphors on the board/interactive whiteboard. Then, in small groups, ask students to choose one of the metaphors and describe in what ways life is an expression of the comparison. Finally, ask students to write a five-to-eight-line poem with the title “Life is . . . .”

Related Instructional Videos

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Final 05/10/2013
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