Flavored with Figurative Language Activities to Familiarize Students with Figures of Speech
Flavored with Figurative Language Activities to Familiarize Students with Figures of Speech All that reading is making him as wise as an owl! He’s such a bookworm! ‘Whooo’ went the owl as he flew through the night on silent wings… By Laura Beth Fitzgerald Rockingham County Schools Bethany Elementary School Third Grade Aligned with NCSCOS Grades 3-5 Language Arts Objectives ~ 1.03 Identify key words and discover their meanings and relationships through a variety of strategies. ~ 1.04 Increase reading and writing vocabulary through: wide reading. word study. knowledge of multiple meanings of words. examining the author's craft. ~ 2.04 Identify and interpret elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the author's use of figurative language (e.g., simile, metaphor, personification, imagery…). What does the Research Say? According to research… The English language is potentially overwhelming. About 70% of the words derive from Latin, French, or Greek, and about 22% from German. Furthermore, the language is large, with nearly one million meaningful lexemes, including words, idioms & other figures of speech, prefixes, roots, and suffixes. Figurative language goes beyond the literal meaning of words to create a fresh way of looking at an idea. Poetry and songs are rooted in figures of speech. Word-conscious students are primed to learn vocabulary. They are motivate and interested in language, & inquisitive about words, phrases, and expressions. The National Panel Report (2002) states that “data suggests that text comprehension is enhanced when readers actively relate the ideas represented in print to their own knowledge and experiences and construct mental representations in memory.” English Language Learners (ELLs) may be working diligently to translate concepts literally, so figurative language such as "crocodile tears" or "sweet tooth" can be perplexing. In “A Child Becomes a Reader”, it states that by the end of third grade, students begin to use literary words and sentences in their writing, such as figurative language expressions. According to the AFT, idiomatic and figurative language are significant components of Semantics, or knowledge of language structure. (Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science!). Literacy Structures Figurative Language Reading Writing Speaking Literal Language Words or Phrases that mean exactly what they say! You burst my bubble! Figurative Language Words or phrases that mean something different than the literal, or actual, meaning of the words. We’re having a surprise party for Lucy tomorrow at school! Idiom A saying whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words in it. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in our family! I’ve heard money doesn’t grow on trees…but books?!?! Research the origins and meanings of Idioms, using Scholastic’s Dictionary of Idioms! Sleep tight! Don’t let the bedbugs bite! Love is in the Air… Monkey See, Monkey Do! Hear NO Evil…See NO Evil…Speak NO Evil! Examples of Idioms… Use Scholastic’s Dictionary of Idioms! Wake up and smell the coffee! It’s raining cats and dogs! Break a leg! It will cost me an arm and a leg! Idioms The early bird catches the worm! You’re the apple of my eye! Don’t cry over spilled milk! Alliteration Phrases that begin with the same sound, as in tongue twisters! She sells seashells by the seashore. How many seashells did she sell? Examples of Alliteration… 1. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? 2. She sells seashells by the seashore. How many seashells did she sell? 3. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pecks of pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? 4. Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair! 5. Cindy's sister, Suzy, sits sideways on a slippery slope. 6. Big black bugs bleed blue blood. Personification Giving a personal quality to a nonliving thing. The wind whistled through the trees… Examples of Personification… The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky. The run down house appeared depressed. The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow. She did not realize that opportunity was knocking at her door. He did not realize that his last chance was walking out the door. The bees played hide and seek with the flowers as they buzzed from one to another. The wind howled its mighty objection. The snow swaddled the earth like a mother would her infant child. The river swallowed the earth as the water continued to rise higher and higher. Time flew and before we knew it, it was time for me to go home. The ocean waves lashed out at the boat and the storm continued to brew. My computer throws a fit every time I try to use it. The thunder grumbled like an old man. The flowers waltzed in the gentle breeze. Her life passed her by. The sun glared down at me from sky. The moon winked at me through the clouds above. The wind sang through the meadow. The car was suffering and was in need of some TLC. At precisely 6:30 am my alarm clock sprang to life. The window panes were talking as the wind blew through them. The ocean danced in the moonlight. The words appeared to leap off of the paper as she read the story. The phone awakened with a mighty ring. A Bicycle Spoke Poems by Jack Prelutsky Excerpt from It's Raining Pigs and Noodles Can you find the personification? A bicycle spoke, and a clock stopped to hear. The tulip blew kisses, the rose shed a tear. A package was rapt, though the shoes weren’t swayed The cashews went crazy, a knot was afraid. The buttons were frightened, the butter stood pat, as socks offered punch to a top in a hat. A cake pounded hard when a lock sang off-key, a plum bobbed a bit, which the saw didn't see. The chair took the floor, for the knight wouldn't stand, the benches were bored when the iron was banned. The tires grew weary, the forks hit the hay, the trees left the scene, as the cheese led the way. Simile A figure of speech that compares two unlike things, using the words "like" or "as". “This is the one, Charlie Brown! This little tree is as pretty as a picture!” Examples of Similes… 1. stinky as a skunk 2. climb like a monkey 3. fast as a cheetah 4. big as an elephant 5. quiet as a mouse 6. blind as a bat 7. fat as a pig 8. eyes like an eagle 9. curious as a cat 10. smart as a whip 11. eat like a pig 12. lazy as a lizard 13. red as a lobster 14. tough as nails 15. rough as sandpaper 16. light as a feather 17. slow as molasses 18. run like the wind 19. float like a butterfly 20. sting like a bee 21. pretty as a picture 22. swim like a fish 23. colorful as a rainbow 24. slow as a turtle 25. hungry as a pig Metaphor: An expression that compares two unlike things directly! Gobble, Gobble, Gobble… He is a loose cannon! What a nut! You are such a turkey! Examples of Metaphors… He is a real night owl. That driver is such a road hog! The book is a journey... The football game was a battle. The storm was a disaster. Our classroom is a zoo! My bedroom is a pig sty! New York City is a concrete jungle! My brother is a bear when he is tired! My sister is such a nut! My toes are ice cubes! My dad is such a gorilla! I’m as tired as a wet fish! Splish, Splash… Sounds like you have a frog in your throat! RIBBIT! Examples of Onomatopoeia… SMOOOCH! swishhh... hoooooo... splash! skreeeech!!! squeeeek! meeowww... ring, ring... ding...dong... clip, clop… BAMMM! CRAAASH!! duntun... ummmm... beep-beep... HAHAHA!!! SMACK!!! tick-tock... WHOOOOO.... whewww... BOOOM! SCREEECH! buzzzz... swish, swish... ROARRRR!!! zzzzzzz… weee-ewww... HONK! HONK! VROOM! WHOO-WHOO... AAAAAAAHHH!! Oxymoron A Contradiction in terms. My friends call me Shorty! Examples of Oxymoron… open secret larger half clearly confused act naturally alone together cold hot chocolate found missing deafening silence civil engineer seriously funny living dead Microsoft Works military intelligence tragic comedy jumbo shrimp Advanced BASIC unbiased opinion virtual reality definite maybe pretty ugly original copies same difference plastic glasses almost exactly constant variable even odds minor crisis extinct life genuine imitation exact estimate only choice freezer burn free love working holiday clearly confused rolling stop Figurative Language Jeopardy In collaborative groups, this followup game can be used as a review or summative assessment. Figurative Language\Figurative Language Jeopardy.ppt Figurative Language Activities Reading: 1. 2. 3. Engage and motivate students with children’s literature that contains figures of speech (see following list)! Challenge students to find figures of speech in their independent reading. Find figures of speech in the poetry and comic strips! Writing: 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Construct a “Flavored with Figurative Language” booklet that contains definitions, examples, and illustrations. Keep a figurative language log of favorite expressions! Flavor narrative and expository writings with figurative language. Make up your own figures of speech and illustrate. Make a comic strip! Try your hand at writing poems using different kinds of figurative language. 9. 10. 11. Challenge your friends and family to interpret your favorite figures of speech. See how many figurative language expressions are used in a day? A week? Keep a log! Learn to Sing the following figurative language song! Speaking: C:\Documents and Settings\bfitzgerald\My Documents\My Videos\RealPlayer Downloads\Video Figures of Speech Song Educational Video WatchKnow.flv Figurative Language Resources * Figurative Language In a Jar – Metaphor, Simile, & Idiom Learning Cards * Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms (Over 600 phrases, sayings, & expressions) * Daily Warm-Ups: Figurative Language (Level II) * Scholastic’s Idiom Tales series: (The Long Arm of the Law, Slam Dunk, Over the Moon, Every Cloud has a Silver Lining, The Wild-Goose Chase, and Peas in a Pod) * In a Pickle and Other Funny Idioms by Marvin Terban * It Figures! Fun Figures of Speech by Marvin Terban * Skin Like Milk, Hair of Silk-What are Similes and Metaphors? by Brian P. Cleary * Crazy like a Fox: A Simile Story by Loreen Leedy * My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil - and Other Funny Classroom Portraits by Hanoch Piven * My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks – and Other Funny Family Portraits by Hanoch Piven * Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood * Adventures of Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish * Poems by Jack Prelutsky: A Pizza the Size of the Sun; It’s Raining Pigs & Noodles ; Something BIG Has Been Here; The New Kid on the Block Figurative Language Websites: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/figurative_language.htm http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/20-language-arts/343-figurativelanguage.html http://www.sturgeon.k12.mo.us/elementary/numphrey/subjectpages/language arts/figuresofspeech.html http://languagearts.pppst.com/figurative.html http://www.missspott.com/figurativelanguage.html http://www.gamequarium.com/figurativelanguage.html http://www.frostfriends.org/figurative.html http://www.educationalrap.com/song/figurative-language.html http://languagearts.mrdonn.org/figurative.html http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/figurativelanguage-teaching idioms-254.html http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/figurativelanguage-awards-ceremony-115.html?tab=5#tabs http://42explore.com/figlang.htm http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Process_Skills/LPS0 205.html http://k6educators.about.com/cs/lessonplanskin/a/lessonplan46c.htm http://www.learn-english-today.com/ http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/list.php http://www.poetryteachers.com/poetclass/lessons/teachsimiles.html Questions & Comments… The END! 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