Figurative language

A teacher plans for, implements, and reflects on a literacy lesson about figurative language. Planning involved choosing appropriate resources to support four groups who participate in the activity. Specific resources, including ICT, were selected to suit the abilities and interests of the students within the groups. The teacher establishes the learning that takes place within a broader learning sequence and articulates how the activity relates to improvements in students’ writing and their capacity to progress to future curriculum content at the level/s at which they are operating.

The class is a year 5/6 composite, with 16 grade 6 and 11 grade 5 students. Within the class, one student is on the autism spectrum while a number of students have auditory issues. Most students in the class are working at or above their curriculum level. The lesson on figurative language follows a sequence of lessons about how authors use figurative language to enhance their writing. In writing workshops students have also been exploring how figurative language can be used to grab the reader’s attention. Following these lessons, students will progress to narrative writing.