Figurative language activities are an excellent way to engage middle school students in language learning. By using figurative language, you can help your students develop their ability to see the world through different lenses and think about new ways to express themselves.
1. Create a Figurative Language Unit
Creating a unit on figurative language is not easy. So why re-create the wheel? I love this 6th-grade unit on figurative language terms. This digital version is FREE and includes everything you need to teach your students. Creations by Kelsey even has figurative language lessons, figurative language definitions, practice sheets, correct answer keys, and way more.
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2. Make Figures of Speech Flash Cards
Flash cards are always fun to reinforce figurative language (or any other subject). Depending on your class type, there are some tremendous figurative language digital flashcards on Quizlet.
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3. Have Students Teach Mini-Lessons
There is no better way to know that kids have learned something than if they teach it to their peers. Separate your students into groups and have each group create a mini-lesson plan on 1-3 figurative language terms.
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4. Have a Poetry Unit
Poetry units are an excellent way to teach about figurative language literary elements. This can be done around 2nd grade up through 10th grade. This activity is a wonderful way to encourage descriptive writing and allow students to demonstrate a strong understanding of the importance of symbolic language skills.
More Information: Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
5. Explore Figurative Language in Popular Music
My students always, without fail, love exploring popular music that they love to discover figurative language truth. This is a fun language activity you can use with almost any grade level. I have found that this high-interest activity that discovers specific language in songs is better appreciated by those in the upper-grade levels, such as high school.
More Information: Genius Whatever figurative language activity you choose, be sure to plan it around the students’ individual strengths and weaknesses. For example, if you are using stories, make sure to include a part that each student can enjoy. If you are taking pictures, make sure to include a part that each student can understand.
