Figurative Language Lesson Plan: Craft and Structure

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic, Figurative Language, and addresses the standard of interpreting the meaning of language in context through a variety of  projects. 

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

• Display these two statements:

          Priya ran fast.

          Priya ran like the wind.

• Ask students how the sentences are alike and different. Which can they picture in their mind? Why are they able to picture it?  

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read aloud the description on the Figurative Language topic page.
• Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
• Assign Related Readings. Have students read one of the three articles. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign Figurative Language Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about figurative language while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

• Make-a-Movie: Make a commercial promoting a new product, such as sneakers, toothpaste, breakfast cereal, etc. Include a slogan in your ad that uses one form of figurative language in order to answer this question: How does figurative language enhance a message?
• Make-a-Map: Identify the types of figurative language and add them to a spider map. Connect an example to each type. Try to use original ones; not ones from the movie! 
• Creative Coding: Code a newscast that uses figurative language in the headline.

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of figurative language with these topics: Similes and Metaphors and Poetry.

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas. 
• Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.