The AP Literature and Composition exam is all about close reading. Test takers are presented with a passage and asked to analyze how an author uses literary devices to create a desired effect. Prepare your students for the exam with a...

Have everything you need to know about the elements of poetry with a nine-page handout. Split into four categories—word sounds, meanings, arrangement, and imagery—budding poets may reference terms, read definitions, descriptions, and...

Three of Emily Dickinson's poems, "I like to see it," "Because I could not stop for Death," and "We grow accustomed to the Dark," provide instructors with an opportunity to model for class members how to use close reading strategies to...

The lyrics of popular songs provide an opportunity for language learners to deepen their understanding of how figurative language adds depth of meaning and nuances to songs. Class members identify the devices used in their favorite...

Poetry is often referred to as compressed speech—compressed because poets choose their words for their sound, as well as their meaning, and carefully arrange these words to create the maximum effect. Introduce class members to...

Are your middle schoolers able to identify the literary devices featured on this activity? They must demonstrate their understanding of figurative language by matching the terms with their definitions and label the devices used in short...

"Lucky lady." "Straight as an arrow." Here's a figurative language worksheet that provides middle schoolers with six examples and asks them to identify the literary device modeled.

Play a figurative language game! Starting with a review of terms, this presentation quickly launches into a quiz game with hyper-linked answers. Simply click an answer to find out if it's wrong or right. The option to try again is always...

I have a pair of ducks; one can’t swim. Viewers are introduced to several literary terms (paradox, oxymoron, pun, irony, etc.) that are defined and illustrated with examples. Then they are asked to identify the figurative language used...

After viewing a presentation about satire, and terms associated with this branch of literature, young satirists craft comic books on a topic of their choice. Beware the typos!

Need a review of literary terms and figurative language? Although text heavy, these slides clearly define frequently used terms and provide color-coded examples.

Seriously, 93 slides of literary terms? Yes, and well worth the time, although perhaps not all at once. The beauty here is in the concise, easy-to-understand definitions for such well-known terms as imagery and personification, as well...

Shakespeare was such a talented writer, but why? It must be his use of figurative language, blended with his clever, twisting plots. This worksheet focuses on his use of metaphor, simile, personification, oxymoron, and hyperbole within...

Explore the pop art movement and create a sculpture in the pop art style based on a visual pun, or play on words. The scholar's work may use humor, allegory, metaphor, or be in the form of a parody. Visual examples are provided, and some...

Scholars demonstrate the ability to evaluate authors' use of literary elements such as metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, and onomatopoeia. They are provided with a checklist and must shop for poems that contain the poetry terms...

By George, there are so many literary devices illustrated here! Help your pupils create interest in their writing by presenting one or two of these literary devices at a time. The slides contain examples and beg participation from the...

Introduce your class to verbal irony and oxymorons in this lesson, which prompts them to write a "backwards poem" based on the novel Holes. After reading the first chapter, discuss the use of irony, beginning with the very first...

In need of a brilliant  definition and example of oxymoron? Here are two slides that contain a contextual example, common phrases as examples, and a definition of the word. Note: There are only two slides in this presentation add more...