Engaging Students with Figurative Language: 8 Creative Teaching Strategies

Hello Teachers,

As an avid reader and a passionate educator, I'm excited to share my insights on engaging students in the classroom through creative teaching activities that focus on figurative language. Teaching students how to effectively recognize, analyze, and evaluate metaphors, similes, hyperbole, and other devices enhances their reading skills while also strengthening their ability to use these literary techniques in their own writing.

Here are 8 unique strategies to teach figurative language:

1. Launch a Figurative Language Escape Room

   Engage your students by designing an interactive escape room that challenges them with puzzles, codes, and activities focused on recognizing various forms of figurative language. Students navigate through the classroom, moving from one station to another as they correctly identify literary devices.

2. Explore Famous Quotes

   Introduce students to historical figures' famous quotes incorporating metaphors, similes, or personification. Create stations around the room with information cards about each figure and their quote. Students must determine which figurative language is used in these famous speeches.

3. Conduct Close Readings

   Challenge your students by providing passages that weave together a variety of figures of speech. Make it competitive by having teams race to find all uses of figurative language first, then declare the winning team Figurative Language Superstars.

4. Analyze Text Messages

   Tap into student interests with real-life examples like text messages or social media content using figurative language. Students can practice locating these devices in modern texts and discuss their impact.

5. Literary Lyrics Activity

   Introduce song lyrics as a practical example of meaning behind the words by connecting them to current music hits. Have students label literary devices in popular songs, then reflect on how they contribute to emotions or themes.

6. Writing with Figurative Language

   Once students are familiar with figurative language techniques, encourage them to apply these devices in their own writing for enhanced description. Task cards can help practice using hyperbole, similes, metaphors, and more.

7. Slogan Analysis

   Explore the use of literary devices in brand jingles and slogans through classroom discussions or activities. Students can identify and discuss how these techniques influence audience perception.

8. Research and Present

   Assign students to research additional examples of figurative language in various forms such as advertisements, movies, or literature. They then share their findings with the class for collaborative learning.

Teaching figurative language requires a well-rounded approach that includes explicit instruction, ample practice opportunities, and application into student writing. These strategies will help build students' skills to effectively evaluate and analyze figurative language.

To discover more practical teaching methods and resources for English Language Arts ELA, check out my blog post on 'Teaching Figurative Language in Middle School in 6 Steps'.

I hope these ideas inspire you to create engaging lessons that make learning about figurative language fun and accessible. If you are looking for ready-to-use materials to support your classroom instruction, my shop offers a variety of resources that align with ELA standards.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram @prestoplans for additional updates and classroom inspiration!

Happy teaching!
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