Activity
1. Before class, write the following terms on the board (but
not in this order): exposition, conflict, rising action,
climax, falling action, and resolution.
2.When
students enter the room, ask them to write down each
of the
terms on a separate sheet of paper, ordering them
according to the plot line diagram they used the day
before.
If you wish, you may also require that they explain
the meaning of each term.
3.
Collect these papers for assessment
of the previous lesson. You may wish to review the
correct answers after collecting students’ papers.
4.
After the start-up activity, explain to the class
that in today’s lesson they are going to study
how authors use figurative language to create compelling
texts.
5. Explain
to the students that one form of writing in which you
find a
great
deal of figurative language is poetry. Ask the class if
they have read any poetry before, in or outside of school.
Most
students will respond that they have read more poetry in
school than outside, although many students read poetry
at home without
realizing it - when they read song lyrics. Ask students
if they have ever read the lyrics to one of their favorite
songs. Why
did they do this?
6.
Pass out copies of the song “The Wreck of the
Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot (included
with this lesson). Tell the students a little bit about
the historic
sinking of
the ship on November 10, 1975.
7. Read
the lyrics aloud or have a student recite the song to
the class. Then,
analyze the
song as a whole class, stanza by stanza, pointing out
the various
examples of figurative language (help the students to
identify and underline examples, while working out definitions
for
each term).
8.
Clarify the meaning and uses of the eight figurative
language terms, and then give the class
the following assignment:
write a poem or short story (1-2) pages in which you
use at least
6 of the 8 different types of figurative language you
have
studied.
Closure
Play the song “The Wreck of the Edmund
Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot as students begin working
on their writing assignment.
Homework
See step four
of lesson outline. |
Embedded
Assessment
Assess
student understanding of figurative language by evaluating the
writing assignment given at the end of class. This writing should
show an attempt to use a variety of figurative language techniques.
Students will of course not have a firm grasp of this concept
as of yet.
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