LESSON #1:
Name: Elizabeth Buelow Age/Grade Level: 9th
Subject Area(s): Language Arts Unit Title: Figurative Langauge
Lesson Title: Lit. Devices PPT Time: 50 mintues
Purpose/Rationale for lesson: Before students begin reading The House on Mango Street, they must know a lot about figurative language/literary devices, as the book is full of them. This 3 lesson unit is aimed at brushing up the students’ literary device knowledge.
Curriculum Framing Questions:
Essential Question: How does figurative language enhance storytelling?
Unit Question that applies to this lesson: What are literary devices?
Content Question: Can you identify the following: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia?
Goal: The goal in this lesson is for students to learn the basics of figurative language.
Learning Objective(s): Students will be able to identify and define similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.
Curriculum Standard(s):
EL.HS.RE.02: Listen to, read and understand a wide variety of text.
EL.HS.RE.05: Match reading to purpose.
EL.HS.LI.09: Identify various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, symbolism, etc.
Materials Needed: Computer, projector, PPT.
Background knowledge or skills students need prior to lesson: None.
Hook or Introduction:
I will show the students a picture of something, like trees in autumn, and will write on the board:
“Those trees are like______.
OR “Those trees are as______as ______.
I will encourage the students to BE CREATIVE.
(5 minutes)
Procedure:
I will then tell the each student to pair share for a few minutes on what they came up with. I will ask for volunteers to share with the class. I will tell them my response: “Those trees are like witches waking midnight”
I will then share with the students that they just engaged in figurative language, namely the literary device we like to call a simile.
(10 minutes)
Next, I will introduce them to the Power Point I co-created, and will advise them to take notes because there is a 58% chance there will be a quiz at the end of class.
Then we will go through the literary devices PPT, which is attached.
(25 minutes)
Close:
Quiz, which is at the end of the PPT. Students may use their notes. I will collect their quizzes when they are done. After I’ve collected them, I will go through the answers.
Differentiation/Accommodation
Several visuals provided on PPT.
Attention to Literacy: Quiz.
Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning: I will know their progress from their quiz score.
LESSON #2:
Name: Elizabeth Buelow Age/Grade Level: 9th
Subject Area(s): Language Arts Unit Title: Figurative Langauge
Lesson Title: Symbolism Time: 50 mintues
Purpose/Rationale for lesson: Before students begin reading The House on Mango Street, they must know a lot about figurative language/literary devices, as the book is full of them. This 3 lesson unit is aimed at brushing up the students’ literary device knowledge.
Curriculum Framing Questions:
Essential Question: How does figurative language enhance storytelling?
Unit Question that applies to this lesson: What are literary devices?
Content Question: What is symbolism?
Goal: The goal in this lesson is for students to learn about symbolism.
Learning Objective(s): Students will become familiar with symbolism.
Curriculum Standard(s):
EL.HS.RE.02: Listen to, read and understand a wide variety of text.
El.HS.RE.03: Make connections to text, within text, and among texts across subject areas.
EL.HS.RE.05: Match reading to purpose.
EL.HS.RE.22: Infer an author’s unstated meaning and draw conclusions.
El>HS.RE.23: Make reasonable assertions about an author’s arguments by using elements of the text to defend and clarify interpretations.
EL.HS.LI.09: Identify various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, symbolism, etc.
Materials Needed: None
Background knowledge or skills students need prior to lesson: None.
Hook or Introduction:
I will ask students to take out pen/pencil and paper and show them the following illustration.
I will instruct them to free write for a few minutes as to what that picture is trying to say.
(5 minutes)
Procedure:
I will then lead the students into an activity wherein we break down this illustration. I will inform them that in order for them to break down the cartoon, a series of symbols must be recognized.
Questions to consider:
On the surface we see a man in red clinging to a pole on an iceberg with the sun rising or setting behind him. But wait. Why is he wearing red suit and hat? Why is there a pole on the iceberg? Why does he look afraid? What does the man in red represent? What is this cartoon trying to tell you?
(20 minutes)
I will then reveal the definition of symbolism, which I will provide for students on a handout.
Ø Symbolism allows people to communicate beyond the limits of language
Ø Humans use symbolism all the time. Words themselves are mere symbols for something else.
Ø A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself.
Ø National, religious, and cultural symbols have standard interpretations as well as a personal significance for each individual. For example, the American flag symbolizes the United States of America. The personal significance, however, varies. A U.S. army veteran cherishes its meaning. A terrorist, on the other hand, finds it despicable. A green piece of paper with George Washington's picture on it symbolizes one dollar. A billionaire considers it chump change. A beggar considers it an elusive treasure.
Next, I will tell students to choose a well known religious, national, or cultural symbol, and write a (half) paragraph analyzing its meaning. They should include the standard meaning along with a personal interpretation. If they’re having trouble, I’ll tell them to think about the seasons. What is winter usually symbolic of? Summer? Spring? Fall?
(20 minutes)
Close: For fun, we’ll analyze the following cartoon.
Differentiation/Accommodation
I will call on able students to help with the activities. I will supply prompts for the paragraphs for struggling students.
Attention to Literacy: Students will write a paragraph based on symbolism and will break down symbolic cartoons.
Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning: I will know their progress from assessing their in-class work.
LESSON #3:
Name: Elizabeth Buelow Age/Grade Level: 9th
Subject Area(s): Language Arts Unit Title: Figurative Langauge
Lesson Title: Music is Figurative Language Time: 50 mintues
Purpose/Rationale for lesson: Before students begin reading The House on Mango Street, they must know a lot about figurative language/literary devices, as the book is full of them. This 3 lesson unit is aimed at brushing up the students’ literary device knowledge.
Curriculum Framing Questions:
Essential Question: How does figurative language enhance storytelling?
Unit Question that applies to this lesson: What are literary devices?
Content Question: Can you identify the following: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and symbolism?
Goal: The goal in this lesson is for students to learn the basics of figurative language.
Learning Objective(s): Students will be able to identify and define similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.
Curriculum Standard(s):
EL.HS.RE.02: Listen to, read and understand a wide variety of text.
El.HS.RE.03: Make connections to text, within text, and among texts across subject areas.
EL.HS.RE.05: Match reading to purpose.
EL.HS.RE.22: Infer an author’s unstated meaning and draw conclusions.
El>HS.RE.23: Make reasonable assertions about an author’s arguments by using elements of the text to defend and clarify interpretations.
EL.HS.LI.09: Identify various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, symbolism, etc.
Materials Needed: CD player with “Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkle
Background knowledge or skills students need prior to lesson: Students must know what figurative language is.
Hook or Introduction:
Raise your hand if you love music! (Wait for hands)
Raise your hand if you think music and poetry are connected! (Wait)
(They will all likely raise their hands; when they do, tell them they’re ahead of the curve in understanding this important point.)
I will then tell the students that I love music too, and one of the reasons I love it so much is because I love language and poetry, and that song are simply the symbiosis of the two.
(5 minutes)
Procedure:
I will then hand back their quizzes and we will again go over the answers. This will refresh their minds about the literary devices we learned about from a few days before.
(10 minutes)
Next, I will hand out worksheets with lyrics to the song “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkle. The heading will say “Beat Ms. B!” We will listen to the song, and I will ask students what they thought of it.
I will tell them that this, when it came out, was a very powerful and popular song, and remains so to this day. I will ask them what they think makes it so powerful, and prompt them into the beautiful language which is, as it turns out, chalk full of literary devices.
(10 minutes)
Next, I will challenge the students to try to find as many literary devices they can in the song’s lyrics, and to whomever finds as many as many (or more!) than me, they will receive a little prize. They may only use the six we’ve learned.
(15 minutes)
Close:
We will determine the winners of the figurative language contest, and then go through them all as a class.
(10 minutes)
Differentiation/Accommodation
Students who are having difficulty may pair up to identify lit. devices. Students will have their returned and graded quizzes to help them along. I will challenge TAG students to not use their notes.
Attention to Literacy: Identifying literary devices.
Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning: I will know their progress from collecting their song lyric worksheets.
Lyrics to Sound of Silence:
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
"Fools", said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"
And whispered in the sounds of silence
Elizabeth Buelow
Unit Plan Summary
Professor Herman-Davis
March 2, 2011
I designed this mini-lesson as a pre-cursor for students to read The House on Mango Street. Because the book is so filled with figurative language/literary devices, I thought it would be wise to ensure their understanding of such material. I designed the three lessons around the following curriculum-framing questions:
Essential Question: How does figurative language enhance storytelling?
Unit Question that applies to this lesson: What are literary devices?
Content Question: Can you identify the following: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and symbolism?
I am a student teacher at Benson Polytechnic High School, which is located near the Lloyd Center, close to downtown Portland, Oregon. I teach three freshmen classes, and this mini-unit is designed for their age group, roughly 14-15 year-olds. Benson is a very diverse school, so my cooperating teacher and I chose House on Mango Street because it was written by a Hispanic author who is also a woman. Moreover, the book confronts such issues as poverty, racism, classism, and sexism. It’s also short and easy to read, particularly if they have a solid grasp on figurative language, which is what this mini unit is all about. By the end of this unit, students will be able to identify the following: simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and symbolism.
EL.HS.RE.02: Listen to, read and understand a wide variety of text.
El.HS.RE.03: Make connections to text, within text, and among texts across subject areas.
EL.HS.RE.05: Match reading to purpose.
EL.HS.RE.22: Infer an author’s unstated meaning and draw conclusions.
El>HS.RE.23: Make reasonable assertions about an author’s arguments by using elements of the text to defend and clarify interpretations.
EL.HS.LI.09: Identify various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, symbolism, etc.