Labor of Love: Teaching Literary Devices
Here are lesson ideas to teach and reinforce various forms of literary devices throughout the school year.
By Dawn Dodson
I like to think of literary devices as the tools that writers use to make their stories more interesting and meaningful for the reader. Whether seeking to convey emotion, create suspense, or conjure up an image, authors use these devices to make their story unique and provide insight into the world of their creation. Developing the ability to use literary devices effectively requires study and practice. Most of my sixth grade writers know what a literary device is, and they can identify them in novels and other forms of literature we study throughout the year, however, the trick seems to be teaching them to know how and when to use them in their own writing.
In order to fully appreciate how literary devices can improve writing, I have students look at examples of specific devices. For instance, if we're studying metaphors, I choose an example from something we've read (Natalie Babbit's "Tuck Everlasting" provides a treasure trove of examples). We dissect it. We talk about the images, word choice, and theorize about the purpose of the literary device and its placement in the story. This is part of a year-long discussion about literary devices. However, as we progress through the school year, my method of reviewing changes. I begin by showing them examples of specific devices, then I ask them to identify the devices, and eventually have students create their examples. I have developed lessons that can help students move from one objective to the next.
Once I've exposed students to a variety of examples of literary devices, and students can successfully identify the different forms, I have students focus on meaning. I like students to keep a list of similes, metaphors, idioms, hyperbole, etc . . . that we encounter in our reading. I ask students to choose an example from their list and describe the meaning of the device. I normally have students focus on a specific device for this assignment, such as metaphor. Students create a illustration to describe their device, name it, and describe its meaning. Students share their illustrations during a literature circle. I chose this discussion format because this allows students to discuss each picture, how they perceive the meaning, and what elements of the illustration depicts it. Sharing during literature circles not only allows for a more in-depth conversation, but is also a time-saver. It would take hours to share and discuss each illustration.
After students begin to understand the meaning of different forms of literary devices, they create a literary device dictionary. As part of each entry, students provide the definition of a specific device, an example, and when to use the device in writing. The dictionaries serve as an assessment to determine what students know and what they may need extra help with. The dictionaries are kept in students’ writing folders for reference in future assignments or writing prompts.
Another way I have students practice using a specific device, in this case onomatopoeia, is by creating a children’s picture book. I read Patricia Polacco’s book aloud, "Mommies Say "Shhh!", and I have students take note of the different sound words they hear in the story. We also discuss how onomatopoeia adds sensory interest to writing, and creates more vivid images of an event. I then have students choose one event from their life (e.g., opening a favorite gift, losing a tooth, a music concert, swimming, etc . . .), and have them write a story including onomatopoeia in the same format as Polacco’s story. The final copy is shared with the entire class, but again, students break off into literature circles to discuss specific story points, and, of course, to talk about how the use of onomatopoeia appealed to the reader's, or listener's, senses. This is an enjoyable activity that students love to share. I’ve adapted this lesson to use with personification and alliteration as well.
In addition to activities and assignments that require students to incorporate specific literary devices, I like to ask students to include literary devices in writing lessons. I also include them as a part of writing rubrics. By incorporating such requirements, students are provided with continual practice, which ultimately helps them learn the when, where, and how to place literary devices in writing.
Literary Device Lessons:
Spice Up Your Poetry with Figurative Language
Students read and study poetry with examples of different forms of literary devices. They compare the various devices through graphic organizers, and small and whole class discussion.
Students identify the literary devices used in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Working in small groups, students identify examples of the literary devices and their meaning in the speech. Groups present their findings to the class.
In this lesson, students not only identify various forms of literary devices such as personification, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and imagery, but they also learn to evaluate others’ use of the different forms. Students use checklists as they read different poems, and then mark the devices used. The checklists are then used for evaluation.
