{"id":3990,"date":"2022-03-06T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/?p=3990"},"modified":"2025-02-10T13:36:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T18:36:41","slug":"figurative-language-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands-On Figurative Language Activities for your High School Class"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It&rsquo;s absolutely astonishing how <em>little<\/em> high schoolers understand figurative language. <strong>Even my seniors struggled to tell me the difference between similes and metaphors (didn&rsquo;t they learn that like every year in middle school?).<\/strong> And they didn&rsquo;t have the attention span to work their way through worksheet after worksheet of figurative language practice. <strong>So I came up with some figurative language activities to review and practice their skills&ndash;without boring my high school students to death!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I came up with these figurative language activities, I tried to add a hands-on component. Even just holding something would, I knew, help some of these definitions stick in my kids&rsquo; minds better.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So in this blog post, I&rsquo;m going to share some of the engaging figurative language activities that worked for my Creative Writing students.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was important to me to come up with&nbsp;creative ways&nbsp;to teach and practice&nbsp;various types of figurative language&nbsp;with my students, so I hope you enjoy what I came up with!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ready to ditch those figurative language worksheets in favor of some fun activities?<\/strong> Then let&rsquo;s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Want some more Creative Writing teaching tips? <a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/teaching-creative-writing-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Check out this blog post.<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=3992\" data-pin-id=\"FIG LANG ACTIVITIES pin 3\" data-pin-title=\"Hands-on Figurative Language Activities for Your High School Class\" data-pin-description=\"Worried about losing your high school students while teaching them figurative language? No need to worry with these hands-on figurative language activities! With ideas for incorporating movement and hands-on activities to your next figurative language lesson, this post will inspire you to make writing more than just pen and paper. Click here to read it now! #itslitteaching #highschoolenglish #figurativelanguage #secondaryela #creativewriting\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt='\"Hands-on Figurative Language Activities for Your High School Class\" Pinterest pin' class=\"wp-image-3992 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/FIG-LANG-ACTIVITIES-pin-3-683x1024.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Figurative Language Activity #1: Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When I set out to teach and review different types of figurative language with my creative writing students, I knew I was going to have to spend some time doing direct instruction. But, most of these terms shouldn&rsquo;t be completely new for my kids either, so I didn&rsquo;t want to spend a ton of time lecturing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Instead, I opted for a short slideshow that covered the basics.<\/strong> I gave them the name of the figurative language technique, a definition, and an example.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Student-Resource-Handout-5079032?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=2723\" data-pin-nopin=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2723 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Slide1.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Student-Resource-Handout-5079032?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This Figurative Language Handout<\/a> for students is perfect for supplementing your figurative language lessons and giving students an ongoing resource. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>I even gave students a copy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Student-Resource-Handout-5079032?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this figurative language handout so they could look up any type of figurative language that they might forget <\/a>(or, you know, so they don&rsquo;t ask how to spell &ldquo;onomatopoeia&rdquo;).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once we were all on the same page as far as terms, it was time to begin the figurative language scavenger hunt!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Like any scavenger hunt, the goal was for students to be the first to find everything on their list.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My students always seemed to thrive under competition, so I challenged them to race one another and offered small treats as prizes for those who finished.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, they had to find an example of each type of figurative language in the classroom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I love this activity because it gets kids up and moving around the room.<\/strong> I think incorporating movement in a lesson is important, but often difficult in a Creative Writing class.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting Up the Scavenger Hunt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Before class, I hung up carefully selected poems around the classroom. I knew that there was at least one example of each term within the five poems, and I had made my own list beforehand, so I could help students out quickly with their searches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>You don&rsquo;t have to use poetry, however!<\/strong> Feel free to use short stories, picture books, song lyrics, or any other text! I chose to hang my poem posters on the wall, but you could set up stations with different medium instead.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Scavenger-Hunt-Activity-5090151?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=2722\" data-pin-nopin=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2722 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide1-3.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Scavenger-Hunt-Activity-5090151?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt<\/a> has everything you need to introduce figurative language techniques and practice them in a fun way!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>After students found their ten examples, they could return to their seats and create original examples of their own.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Even though students were basically listening to a lecture, looking for examples, and then creating their own, the scavenger hunt added so much more dimension to the lesson.<\/strong> Students moved around the room, formed teams, competed, got frustrated, asked for help, and more. It was everything you want in a classroom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Creating Your Own Scavenger Hunt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to set up your own figurative language scavenger hunt, first decide on the&nbsp;different types of figurative language&nbsp;and&nbsp;literary devices&nbsp;you want to cover or teach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know there are lots of definitions and people have differing opinions about which&nbsp;literary devices&nbsp;are technically considered a&nbsp;type of figurative language. Determine your list of terms first because it will be the basis for every other step.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.masterclass.com\/articles\/writing-101-what-is-figurative-language-learn-about-10-types-of-figurative-language-with-examples\">I used this list from MasterClass.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can even do this activity with your classroom library instead of hanging up poems. Choose any poems or literature examples you want for this scavenger hunt as long as there are plenty of examples for your kiddos to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Scavenger-Hunt-Activity-5090151?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">You could also save yourself a ton of time and get my no prep, done-for-you Figurative Language Scavenger Hunt right here!<\/a><\/strong> I also added a digital version to this resource. Personally, I don&rsquo;t think the digital version is as fun, but it&rsquo;s perfect for students who happen to be absent or when your school goes virtual unexpectedly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Figurative Language Activity #2: Figurative Language Tasting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s time to have some&nbsp;figurative language fun! <strong>This is my students&rsquo; favorite of the figurative language activities: <a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/how-to-host-a-figurative-language-tasting\/\">a figurative language tasting.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/how-to-host-a-figurative-language-tasting\/\">I go into detail about how to do one in this blog post here.<\/a><\/strong> But basically, students use different types of figurative language to create sensory details about a treat they eat in class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Getting Supplies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, I know we don&rsquo;t have any extra money for our classroom. There are ways to do this fun activity on a budget.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/FREE-Figurative-Language-Practice-Activity-5098455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=2721\" data-pin-nopin=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"Cover for Teachers Pay Teachers product: Creative Writing Figurative Language Tasting Activity\" class=\"wp-image-2721 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Slide1-1.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/FREE-Figurative-Language-Practice-Activity-5098455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grab this FREE Figurative Language Tasting<\/a> lesson plan and worksheet to help pull off a figurative language tasting of your own!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You can buy one bag of pretzels, which are very inexpensive, and give each student 1-3 to taste for this activity. Big bags of mints are also a good go-to for this one.&nbsp;<strong>Don&rsquo;t forget to ask admin ahead of time for a few dollars in the budget for some classroom supplies.<\/strong> (You never know. They might offer to reimburse you!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&rsquo;t even necessarily need to give students <em>food<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, you can give them small objects to describe. How would they describe a cotton ball versus a rubber band versus a paper clip?You can even mix it up. Have students compare a salty pretzel to a sweet Swedish fish. Then, have them use figurative language techniques to compare the feel of a rock versus a cotton ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&rsquo;re giving students something that they can hold and experience in the moment to write about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This involves students&rsquo; senses&ndash;whether that&rsquo;s taste, smell, touch, whatever&ndash;and really getting them to think creatively about describing these sensations.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, since every student is describing a similar experience (rather than trying to describe their favorite food or vacation spot from memory), they can compare their work and learn from one another.&nbsp;<strong>Don&rsquo;t forget to put students in partners or small groups to let them compare their use of figurative language!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to learn more about doing your own figurative language tasting, <a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/how-to-host-a-figurative-language-tasting\/\">check out this blog post<\/a>.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/FREE-Figurative-Language-Practice-Activity-5098455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/FREE-Figurative-Language-Practice-Activity-5098455\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">You can also download a FREE lesson plan and worksheet right here!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=3996\" data-pin-id=\"fig lang activities pin 2\" data-pin-title=\"Hands-on Figurative Language Activities for Your High School Class\" data-pin-description=\"So you're teaching figurative langauge to your high schoolers but all of your lessons seem boring? Or maybe you just got handed a Creative Writing course section and have no idea where to start. Teaching literary terms is often super boring--lectures and worksheets--but it doesn't have to be. Click here to get some inspiration for turning your figurative language unit into one students will love! #itslitteaching #figurativelanguage #creativewriting #highschoolenglish #secondaryela\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt='\"Hands-on Figurative Language Activities for Your High School Class\" Pinterest pin' class=\"wp-image-3996 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/fig-lang-activities-pin-2-683x1024.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Figurative Language Activity #3: Figurative Language Task Cards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At some point in your figurative language unit, you just might need students to sit down and practice these terms over and over. After all, it&rsquo;s hard to analyze a poem if you&rsquo;re redefining &ldquo;metaphor&rdquo; every ten seconds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Usually, a worksheet would probably be our go-to for this. Instead, consider using figurative language <a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/task-cards\/\">task cards.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/FREE-Figurative-Language-Practice-Activity-5098455?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=3838\" data-pin-nopin=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3838 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Slide1.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/FREE-Figurative-Language-Practice-Activity-5098455?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">These Figurative Language Task Cards<\/a> add a little hands-on component to otherwise straightforward practice. They also make for great sub plans!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Figurative language Task cards and figurative language worksheets really aren&rsquo;t that different. They both give students a question to answer or a task to perform. <strong>But task cards are more <em>tactile.<\/em><\/strong><em> <\/em>Students have to hold them, shuffle them, and pass them to a friend.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s a&nbsp;great way&nbsp;to add some&nbsp;figurative language review<br>&nbsp;to your class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>It&rsquo;s not as interactive as a scavenger hunt or tasting, but it&rsquo;s still definitely more interesting than a worksheet.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plus, task cards are flexible. (<a href=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/task-cards\/\">Check out my blog post on using task cards here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Using Your Task Cards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Want students to get some&nbsp;independent practice?<\/strong> Make your&nbsp;task cards&nbsp;a station or leave them as a sub plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Want students to work as a group or talk as they work? <\/strong>Give each table or group of students ONE deck of task cards. They&rsquo;ll be forced to share and will naturally talk about their responses while doing so.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Want students to get up and move?<\/strong> Tape the cards around your room and give students a response sheet. Now students have to get up and move around to find the questions they&rsquo;re supposed to answer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Task cards are super easy to make. You can format some pretty cards online and print them. Or, you can write your questions\/tasks on index cards.&nbsp;Creating task cards is an easy way to turn your figurative language worksheets into hands-on activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you&rsquo;d like to save yourself some time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/FREE-Figurative-Language-Practice-Activity-5098455?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">you can get my figurative language task cards right here<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"ml-embedded\" data-form=\"rkf7DI\"><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Figurative Language Activities #4: Figurative Language Writing with Photo Cards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At some point, students are going to have to write using figurative language. It&rsquo;s the only way to reach the top of Bloom&rsquo;s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But you might not want to create a massive project like writing an original short story or an epic sonnet just to assess figurative language skills.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And, if your students are like mine, you might need to build in lots of scaffolding. My kids need baby steps to get students to write anything original to completion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For these reasons, I came up with my own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Writing-Activity-with-Photos-as-Inspiration-5143445?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Figurative Language Writing Activity with Photo Cards.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I print off cards with pictures of different landscapes on them (a couple of deserts, forests, snow scenes, etc.). Then, students pick the landscape that looks inspirational to them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, they&rsquo;ll write a scene that describes their chosen landscape. <strong>But first, I have them brainstorm several examples of figurative language <em>for each of the five senses<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That way, when they write, they can pull their own examples to describe the taste of the ocean air or the feel of the arid desert air.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And describing a setting doesn&rsquo;t have to be long. Even a couple of paragraphs or a very long one will be enough writing for you to know if students &ldquo;get it.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tips for Your Own Writing Activity<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Writing-Activity-with-Photos-as-Inspiration-5143445?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-nopin=\"nopin\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=3319\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3319 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Slide1-5.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Writing-Activity-with-Photos-as-Inspiration-5143445?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This Figurative Language Writing Activity<\/a> includes everything you need: printable and digital components, landscape cards, and student worksheets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>You can save yourself some time and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Writing-Activity-with-Photos-as-Inspiration-5143445?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">get my Figurative Language Writing Activity here<\/a><\/strong>. <strong> But you could make your own as well.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can print off pictures or bring in magazines. Maybe you don&rsquo;t even want students to describe a landscape. Maybe it&rsquo;s a scene like a day at a carnival or an auction house. You probably even have some better ideas for sensory-rich descriptions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But if you have struggling students or students who rarely write on their own, I do recommend some scaffolding before jumping into the writing process.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This could be just having students brainstorm an example of each type of figurative language that describes their scene. Or an example of figurative language for each sense.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could even consider making&nbsp;anchor charts&nbsp;or figurative language posters with the class as a pre-writing activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Just don&rsquo;t let them touch a completely blank page unless you know they&rsquo;re ready.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s a good idea too to have students highlight or underline and label their examples of figurative language. <strong>They wrote them; they should be able to identify them.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will be just a little bit more proof that they know what they&rsquo;re doing, and you won&rsquo;t have to worry about guessing intentions if you come across a vague or confusing description in your students&rsquo; writing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>While much of this activity is sitting down, having those physical pictures to look at and examine adds an element of hands-on learning.&nbsp;<\/strong>This is one of my&nbsp;favorite ways&nbsp;to weave in the&nbsp;use of figurative elements&nbsp;in my&nbsp;English language arts&nbsp;school year.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=3993\" data-pin-id=\"Fig Lang Activities Pin 1\" data-pin-title=\"Hands-on Figurative Language Activities for Your High School Class\" data-pin-description=\"Are your figurative language lessons even boring you? It's time to mix things up and make those lessons more interactive! In this blog post, I discuss a few ideas for adding movement or hands-on elements to your figurative language unit. Click here and uplevel your figurative language lessons today! #itslitteaching #figurativelanguage #creativewriting #highschoolenglish #secondaryela\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt='\"Hands-on Figurative Language Activities for Your High School Class\" Pinterest pin' class=\"wp-image-3993 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Fig-Lang-Activities-Pin-1-683x1024.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It&rsquo;s hard to come up with engaging, out-of-the-box figurative language activities on the fly. <strong>But if you know that you have a unit or Creative Writing class coming up, consider how you can add a sensory element to your lessons.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Can you add some movement?<\/strong> Even giving students a clipboard and going outside to complete a worksheet or do some writing is a great change of pace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Can you provide props?<\/strong> Giving students something to taste, touch, manipulate, or move around can be inspiring and engaging.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you&rsquo;d like to incorporate some unique figurative language activities into your class but are low on prep time (who isn&rsquo;t?), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Mini-unit-Bundle-Creative-Writing-5144047?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">check out my Figurative Language Mini-unit Bundle<\/a>!<\/strong> It includes detailed lesson plans, complete activities, and will provide your students with opportunities for both independent work and peer feedback!<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Mini-unit-Bundle-Creative-Writing-5144047?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-pin-url=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/figurative-language-activities\/?tp_image_id=3998\" data-pin-nopin=\"1\" src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/themes\/honey-glow\/images\/placeholder.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3998 lazyload\" style=\"width:300px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Slide1-7.png\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Exhausted just thinking about planning your figurative language unit? Don&rsquo;t stress! <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teacherspayteachers.com\/Product\/Figurative-Language-Mini-unit-Bundle-Creative-Writing-5144047?utm_source=itslitteaching.com&amp;utm_campaign=Hands-on%20Figurative%20Language%20Activities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Grab my Figurative Language Mini-unit Bundle and save!<\/a><\/strong> Plus, most activities now include a digital version for distance learning, so your lessons won&rsquo;t be interrupted by plagues or snow days. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s absolutely astonishing how little high schoolers understand figurative language. Even my seniors struggled to tell me the difference between similes and metaphors (didn\u2019t they learn that like every year in middle school?). And they didn\u2019t have the attention span to work their way through worksheet after worksheet of figurative language practice. So I came up with some figurative language activities to review and practice their skills\u2013without boring my high school students to death!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[341],"tags":[30,190,265,52],"class_list":["post-3990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-writing","tag-creative-writing","tag-figurative-language","tag-fun","tag-poetry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Hands-On Figurative Language Activities for your High School Class - It&#039;s Lit Teaching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Teaching figurative language terms can be boring. 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