Teaching Symbolism to Middle & High School Students

While symbolism is a higher level concept that some students can struggle with, it is also such an engaging concept to teach because symbolism is all around us: in songs, movies, commercials and on posters and billboards. I detailed the many ways I introduce and reinforce symbolism in this previous blog post and you can find even more ideas below.

Build Students' Background Knowledge
Symbolism can be a fun literary conversation, but students don't always understand the concept. To ensure that students are able to analyze symbols, you will want to explain colors, everyday gestures, common symbols, intangible symbols, and weather. With these tips for talking about symbolism, teachers can find a successful way for talking about symbolism with secondary students. You can read more about these tips here and as extra help, I've included a free download of 101 activities for literary analysis. . . with an entire section devoted to symbolism.
*Recommended by Lauralee, Language Arts Classroom

Play Symbolic Pictionary
Before playing the game, you will need to create a slideshow with an abstract noun on each slide (you could also use concrete nouns, specially people or places). Some ideas include determination, power, speed, intelligence, violence, and peace. To play, first break your students up into teams and make sure each team has drawing supplies (whiteboard and markers, paper and crayons, etc). Once a word is revealed, teams begin discussing and drawing a possible symbol. After the allotted amount of team, each team reveals the image that they have drawn and points are awarded. You can read more about the rules of play here.

Introduce The Symbolic Arc To Create Layers Of Understanding
The first arch of the symbolism arc is filled with an object's concrete details (what is looks, smells, sounds, tastes, feels like). The second arch of the symbolism arc is filled with an object's abstract traits, the associations we make with the object because of society, culture, tradition, etc. In the third and final arch of the symbolism arc, students make connections between the concrete details and the abstract traits to determine a possible symbolic meaning. You can read more about this strategy here.

Use Music Videos To Look For Symbolism
Before students dig into printed texts to look for symbolism, start them off with symbols they can actually see. While there are so many choices for music videos, it is often best to use something students are already familiar with (and obviously school appropriate), Musical numbers from Disney movies work well. This blog post from Lit LearnAct describes using "Let It Go" from Frozen to note important objects, describe their purpose or function, and then consider a possible symbolic meaning.

Keep An Eye Out For Objects Of Importance
When you do begin to look for symbols in printed texts have students look for references to concrete objects, especially objects named in titles, and consider whether they could be symbols. Students should also pay special attention to objects or places that are repeated or described in detail. When analyzing a short story or part of a novel or play, assign each student or group of students a page number and ask them to list any objects mentioned. Ask students to share out what they found to create a class list, tallying the number of times an object is mentioned. Beginning with the most frequent mention work down the list discussing the meaning this object might carry with it.

Teaching Theme to Middle & High School Students

While theme is a concept I like to teach early and often each year, students first must have a strong understanding of the other literary elements that play into it. The events in the plot, the conflict that develops, and the actions and reactions of characters all help to reveal the theme of a text. I detailed the many ways I introduce and reinforce theme in this previous blog post and you can find even more ideas below.

Teaching Point of View to Middle & High School Students

An understanding of point of view as well as perspective is key to interpreting any fiction or nonfiction text. Students need to be able to understand an author or character's view point as well as its impact on the information or narrative presented. I detailed the many ways I introduce and reinforce point of view in this previous blog post and you can find even more ideas below.

Teaching Conflict to Middle & High School Students

Without conflict there really is no plot, no substance to a story. That plot "mountain" becomes a flat, straight line. When examining the conflict in a text with students, I go beyond just identifying the type of conflict and describing the forces opposing each other to push students to see the impact of the conflict on all of the other events. I detailed the many ways I introduce and reinforce conflict in this previous blog post and you can find even more ideas below.

Teaching Plot & Setting to Middle & High School Students

It is easy to teach students literary vocabulary and assess them on the meaning of those terms, but for students to truly understand literary elements, students need to practice using that vocabulary in ways that deepen their understanding of how stories work. Students need multiple opportunities to read and write about the vocabulary related to plot and setting. I detailed the many ways I introduce and reinforce plot and setting in this previous blog post and you can find even more ideas below.

Build Up From The “SWBST” Strategy To A Plot Diagram
The “Somebody Wanted But So Then” strategy is one way to summarize a text by identifying and describing key story elements. You can find an example of a "SWBST" chart in this blog post. Once students are comfortable summarizing a story this way, introduce them to the more sophisticated parts of the plot diagram: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Use can find a free plot diagram graphic organizer here. You can have some groups use a "SWBST" chart and other groups use a plot diagram, and then compare how each breaks down the story.

Analyze Through Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers are the perfect tool to dive deeper into a story's meeting. With a variety of graphic organizers for setting, each student can choose the best way to showcase their understanding of a story. Plus, graphic organizers naturally provide scaffolding. Often, I use graphic organizers as a form of prewriting for larger literary analysis. 

*Recommended by Lauralee, Language Arts Classroom

Make It Visual With Color Coding
In this blog post from Teaching in Room 6, one of the strategies she uses to help students differentiate the parts of plot is to have students highlight each part of a short story with different colors. You can find several short (one page) stories here that would be perfect for that. Similarly, you could have students use different color sticky notes to mark the different parts of plot in children's books. 

Reinforce Skills With An Escape Room
One way to introduce, teach, or review plot and setting with students is through an engaging, hands-on escape room activity. This resource works best in the middle school or lower-level high school English classroom, and it is an ideal way to review various elements of fiction -including plot and setting. In this escape room, students work their way through a series of elements of fiction tasks, including plot and setting. Once they emerge from the escape room activity, they are ready for any short story or fiction teaching unit.

*Recommended by Christina, The Daring English Teacher

Examine The Overall Impact Of Changing One Plot Element
This lesson from Flocabulary includes a great introductory video with accompanying notes, a handout with a short story to diagram, and other suggestions for practice. The best part of the lesson and the higher level thinking activity is when students are asked to change one plot element in a story and then examine how that change would impact the rest of the plot. You could have students decide which element they would change or pick at random from a hat. Once one element has changed, they would have to rewrite the rest of the story as needed. This might work best with fairy tales or other well known stories so that students can share and appreciate each others' rewrites.

You can find all of my resources for teaching plot and setting here.

Teaching Characterization to Middle & High School Students

Characterization is the way we come to know the characters of a short story, novel, or drama. While sometimes revealed directly, most of what we learn about characters is revealed through their actions, dialogue, thoughts and feelings, appearance, and their effect on other characters. I detailed the many ways I introduce and reinforce characterization in this previous blog post and you can find even more ideas below.

Examining Action & Getting Into Character
This lesson from Read Write Think first has students identify a character's traits based on their actions. The lesson includes samples as well as a student handout and an extensive list of character traits (adjectives). Part two of the lesson has students imagine that they are one of the characters and generate a list of character traits they would use to describe themselves and three of their co-characters. Students then read over each other's lists and try to guess which character would describe themselves and others that way.

Analysis Through Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers are the perfect tool for literary analysis. With a few well-placed questions, the teacher can advance thinking for a student who has a firm grasp on the story. With a bit of scaffolding or alternatives to writing (pictures, color symbolism), students who struggle with comprehension can soar. Characterization graphic organizers allow for all students to find success.
*Recommended by Lauralee, Language Arts Classroom

Practicing With An Animated Short Film
The Adventures of Hopscotch: Hopscotch Begins animated short film and characterization activities provide a comprehensive set of engaging, rigorous resources for literacy instruction. The materials don’t just tell Hopscotch’s story through an animated short film. They use that story to explicitly teach literacy skills. Students eager to learn about Hopscotch’s adventures will receive an instructional lesson about characterization as they view the video, which means they can replay it if they need to see or hear it again. Meanwhile, the story’s design will give students many opportunities to practice characterization. The accompanying activities provide the resources to offer them those chances. They are also supplied in an editable template so that they can be applied to a separate, written core text. Students will be able to engage with them independently or with the teacher and in any instructional model, including in-person or virtual formats. Therefore, the Hopscotch video and characterization activities not only provide a comprehensive set of materials to teach character throughout the year but also will make Hopscotch a welcome member of your class.
*Recommended by Lauren, LIT Lessons

Create Opportunities For Collaboration
This blog post from Teach Between The Lines has not one or two, but three great ideas to get students thinking, discussing, and working together. Idea number one is The Great Motivation Debate, which allows student to collaborate in small groups to become detective and attorney in. First, students play detective to find the true motivation of a character and find evidence to support this assessment. Then, they play attorney as they use that evidence to craft mini-arguments to debate in the ‘courtroom.’ Idea number two asks students to look at a character through the perspectives of other people in the scene/moment with them and consider how the characterization might be interpreted by other characters. Idea number three is a discussion centered around character displacement: taking a character out of their “world” or “text” and place them in another. Students discuss how a character would interact with others outside their own story, which requires a deep understanding of the character.

Spark Students' Imagination With A Visual
Rather than using a text to have students explore characterization, this activity begins with a pair of shoes. You can use images of shoes found online or collect them from home or from colleagues to create a selection of shoes to represent people of all ages and walks of life. Students will pick a pair to analyze and create the character that the shoe belongs to. The Secondary English Coffee Shop has a list of questions to accompany this activity and get students creative juices flowing. You could do a similar activity with bags, lunches, lockers, etc.

You can find all of my resources for teaching characterization and character types here.

Teaching Literature Skills in the Secondary ELA Classroom

While some teachers use a literature anthology and some teachers are able to choose all of their own texts, we are all teaching the same literary elements. This #2ndaryELA Twitter chat was all about teaching literature skills. Middle school and high school English Language Arts teachers discussed the specific skills they focus on when teaching literature. Teachers also shared where and how they find the texts to match the skills they are teaching.

Read through the chat below to find out how to teach students to identify theme. You'll get ideas about how to differentiate lessons for students who need extra support. You'll also find suggested resources for teaching literary elements.

Hope you'll join us next week for another chat. We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group (even if you aren't on Twitter). 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.
Teaching Literature Skills in the Secondary ELA Classroom

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat on Tuesday 4/9 Topic: Teaching Literature Skills

Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven, & Lisa Spangler, Mrs. Spangler in the Middle, host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Tuesday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Sunday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Tuesday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last week and we hope that you will join us again.

We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Tuesday, April 9, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about teaching literature skills.

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Tuesday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “Latest.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @2peasandadog) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged, so be sure to use a link shortener like tinyurl, bitly, goo.gl or ow.ly Just visit one of those links and paste your long link to shorten it for Twitter. Using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Tuesday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

12 Activities to Use During Literature Circles or Your Next Novel Study

A multiple choice quiz after reading is a quick and easy way to check student comprehension, but it doesn't allow you to assess deeper understanding and it certainly isn't fun or creative. If you are looking for more meaningful and engaging activities to use with students during literature circles or a novel unit, you'll find twelve ideas below that are favorites in my classroom and the Common Core standards they align with. Click the linked title of each activity for more information, student samples, and/or free resources.

1. Text Based Drawings
Asking students to cite evidence for every single question they answer when reading and responding to a text might be good practice and ensure that they are reading closely, but it also becomes repetitive. One way to mix things up is to ask students to draw a picture and label it based on details from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

2. Summary or Synthesis Tombstones
Assess students' knowledge of an author or character by asking them to summarize their reading or synthesize information from multiple sources. Depending on the assignment, students may share important facts about the individual, reasons why he or she will or would be missed, or events that led up to his or her death.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

3. Mind Maps
Mind maps are a visually appealing summarizing strategy, which can be used to enhance students' recall of information as well as to synthesize information from multiple sources. This strategy can be used with fiction or nonfiction texts and can be added to as student progress in their reading.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

4. Character Silhouettes
Creating character silhouettes is a creative way to conduct a close reading of character or figure from an assigned or selected fiction or nonfiction text. This activity can be used with any grade level, during or after reading any text, and reinforces the ideas of character and characterization while asking students to closely examine evidence from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

5. The Spirits of Christmas
Inspired by A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, students select a character and his/her weaknesses to analyze. After identifying and illustrating scenes that reveal the character's flaws, students determine a message to be shared by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

6. Tweet Sheets
Forget those boring chapter summaries you usually assign to accompany your students' independent reading. Instead, try out "tweet sheets." This activity reinforces characterization and point of view while also allowing students to use their creativity as they explore the characters in their novel.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

7. Literary Postcards
Literary postcards are a great writing activity to reinforce the ideas of character and point of view in any novel or short story and can be used with any grade level. Students must depict a key scene from their reading on the front of the postcard and then have choices as to the form of their writing on the opposite side.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

8. Personal Crests
Similar to a coat of arms, have students create a crest for a character in a novel. Students will select symbols and colors that represent the character to decorate their crests and then write a short paragraph explaining their choices. Have students compare crests made for the same character and defend why their choices were more appropriate, or hang them all and allow students to vote on the best ones.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

9. Word Art
Creating word art is a creative way for students to closely analyze a character and select a symbol representative of the character's traits. You'll be surprised with the creativity of your students and even "non-artistic" students will enjoy this activity on characterization and symbolism.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

10. Theme Collages
Theme is one of the concepts in literature that students struggle with most. Use a simple graphic organizer to help students determine the theme of any piece of writing and then create a collage of text and images to reinforce their theme's message about life.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

11. Collaborative Poetry
Incorporate opportunities for collaborative writing in your classroom by using collaborative poetry. Students will first write individually from a character's perspective and then work together as a group to create a communal piece of writing.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

12. Literary Theme Parks
This fun activity makes for a great end of a unit or year project or summer reading assignment. Students will review plot, setting. theme, conflict, characters, and symbolism as they create a poster and give a presentation of their amusement park. After choosing a theme for their park, students will design rides, attractions, shops, food, and souvenirs.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

You can find all of my activities for use with any text here.

Teaching Literary Elements: Figurative Language

Figurative language is often what makes a story so rich and powerful. A reader is able to visualize exactly what the author intended when just the right language is used.

Whether you are teaching figurative langauge as a new concept for your students, diving in deeper, or just reviewing the basics, you'll find activities and resources below that will benefit all levels of students.

Terms to Teach

At the start of my teaching career, I taught primarily ninth grade students at an urban, Title 1 high school. My students came from a variety of K-8 schools, which meant they came with varying English Language Arts experiences. To ensure that all of my students started high school with a strong foundation in the literary elements, I found it best to give direct instruction followed by ample opportunities to apply terms and practice skills.

During my direct instruction, I introduced students to the following terms: simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, understatement, and idioms/figures of speech. Many of my students were unaccustomed to taking notes so I provided them with a guided note taking template. This three column sheet provided a structured space for the term, definition, and examples. This note taking PowerPoint has clear, concise definitions and examples plus built in guided and independent practice.

Activities for Reinforcement
Before applying these newly learned terms to a poem, short story, or novel, I like to give my students opportunities to practice using shorter texts or media. For figurative language, using short video compilations provides great reinforcement. I have collected videos with examples of figurative language from songs, movies, TV shows, and commercials in this playlist. I play a few and have students identify the type of figurative language and analyze its meaning.

Another way I reinforce the types of figurative language is by using this free menu of activities based on Bloom's Taxonomy. Students choose activities from four different section of the menu: knowledge and comprehension, application and analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students examine short text examples of different types of conflict and can use their knowledge to complete tasks such as creating a Frayer's model for one of the types of figurative language or creating a cartoon showing the difference between interpreting a statement figuratively and literally.

Incorporating Movement and Hands-on Activities
One year I taught at an all boys school so giving them opportunities to move around and get some of that energy out was a must. Using stations focused on the types of figurative language is one way I did that. I pushed together desks, but you can also use tables, to set up six stations around the room. At each station, students completed activities such as matching terms and definitions and categorizing types of figurative language. Because all of the station activities involve matching, sorting, or sequencing, they are easy to check and offer feedback to students on their mistakes. I recently updated those stations to include a digital option as well.

If you really like to get your students moving, you could hold a figurative language relay race (you might want to see if you can do this in your gymnasium or another large space in your school). At one end of the room, put a pile of examples of figurative language. Have students line up in their groups (of three to six students) at the other end of the room. Give each group an answer sheet that has statements like "find a simile that compares an animal to something else" or "find a hyperbole that shows how hungry someone is." The first group member has to run to the pile of answers and sort through it to find the correct one. He or she brings it back to the group, which then confers about whether it is correct. If it is, the group writes it down and moves on to the next statement. If it is not correct, the next group member is sent to the pile. Repeat until students have filled their answer sheet and you have confirmed that it is correct.

Another way to incorporate movement is to flip your instruction. Instead of having students take notes on figurative language, break students into groups and assign each group a type. Groups can then make a poster with a definition, examples, a highlighted poem that utilizes that types of figurative language and an image. After the posters are complete, hang them around your classroom and have students take notes as they do a gallery walk.

If you are a picture book lover like me, you could have students do a scavenger hunt for figurative language with a partner. To make it more challenging, allow students to only collect one example per children's book. Your school librarian or local librarian may be a help in recommending and obtaining relevant titles.

Texts to Read
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is my go-to for figurative language. The novel as a whole is wonderful, but each chapter is a vignette that can stand as a short story on its own. A favorite chapter is the one titled "The Family of Little Feet," which I use as a mentor text to help students write a narrative of their own and incorporative figurative language. You could review one vignette as a class and then, similar to the scavenger hunt idea above using picture books, break students into groups to find figurative language in the other vignettes.

While all of Ray Bradbury's short stories are filled with figurative language, my favorite to use is A Sound of Thunder. The idea behind this short story has always fascinated me. If we could travel back in time, how would it affect the future? In Ray Bradbury’s text, time travel takes the characters to the prehistoric age of dinosaurs and one misstep has innumerable effects on the future. It’s a perfect illustration of the butterfly effect.

Other novels that are filled with figurative language are Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer, The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson, Stand Tall by Joan Bauer, Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers, Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake, and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

Some poems that are great for teaching figurative language are "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes, "Mooses" by Ted Hughs, "The Sea" by James Reeve, "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes" by Gary Soto,

"Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer, "Sick" by Shel Silverstein, "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert W. Service, "The Fish" by Elizabeth Bishop, "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe, "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou, "O Captain! My Captain" by Walt Whitman, and "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins.

You can find a variety of text types with figurative language here on CommonLit.

Creative Application
Once students seem comfortable with the terms or if students need a challenge, I introduce students to a digital breakout, "Figuring Out Figurative Language" for additional practice. A digital breakout is an online scavenger hunt-like game where players use teamwork and critical thinking to solve a series of challenging puzzles in order to open a series of locks.

In this breakout, students are having trouble communicating with a friend, who at times seems to be speaking a different language, which has caused rift in their relationship. One day, after a lesson in English class, students realize that their friend hasn't been speaking another language; he's just been using figurative language. Armed with that knowledge, students have to interact with a variety of text and media to try to figure out some of their friend's most recent text messages and repair their broken friendship.

In addition to needing content knowledge to successfully complete the game, breakouts require students to think critically, communicate, collaborate, and use creativity. I also love breakouts because they provide students with many opportunities to fail and try again. Every unsuccessful attempt to open a lock forces them to reexamine their information and their thinking.

You can find all of my resources for teaching figurative language here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Teaching Literary Elements: Symbolism

As the saying goes, a picture is worth 1,000 words, so it's no wonder so many authors incorporate symbolism into their writing. The visual nature of symbolism also makes it a fun concept to teach to students.

Whether you are teaching this as a new concept for your students, diving in deeper, or just reviewing the basics, you'll find activities and resources below that will benefit all levels of students.

Terms to Teach
At the start of my teaching career, I taught primarily ninth grade students at an urban, Title 1 high school. My students came from a variety of K-8 schools, which meant they came with varying English Language Arts experiences. To ensure that all of my students started high school with a strong foundation in the literary elements, I found it best to give direct instruction followed by ample opportunities to apply terms and practice skills.

During my direct instruction, I introduced students to the following terms: personal symbols, public symbols, symbolism, and allegory. Under the category of public symbols, I show students that symbols can have multiple meanings and they can represent people, events, concrete things, and abstract ideas. Many of my students were unaccustomed to taking notes so I provided them with a guided note taking template. This three column sheet provided a structured space for the term, definition, and examples.

Activities for Reinforcement
Before applying these newly learned terms to a short story or novel, I like to give my students opportunities to practice using shorter texts or media. For symbolism, using short video clips provides great visual reinforcement. In this playlist, I have collected a variety of videos "exposing" the origins of different symbols, how some symbols have changed their meaning over time, symbols hidden in well known logos, etc. I may only use one of two of these videos each time I teach symbolism, but they definitely help to spark student interest and open their eyes up to how prevalently symbols are used.

Another way I reinforce symbolism is by using a menu of activities based on Bloom's Taxonomy. Students choose activities from four different section of the menu: knowledge and comprehension, application and analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students examine examples of public symbols and can use their knowledge to complete tasks such as designing a flag with a new symbol for their school.

If I'm in the midst of a novel or short story, an activity that is fun to use with any text is creating word art. It's a great activity for any grade level and can be used to reinforce the ideas of character and symbolism. This activity can be done during or after reading with any short story or novel. Students brainstorm words to describe and associated with a character of choice, select an object to represent the character or his/her traits, and then create that object using the words they brainstormed. You can read more about the activity and see examples here.

Incorporating Movement and Hands-on Activities
A fun introductory lesson to symbolism is creating a personal crest. I provide students with a crest template as well as the meanings of common symbols and colors. I ask students to select colors and symbols that represent them and then show students a sample crest to help them brainstorm additional ideas. I usually make students do a rough sketch or at least brainstorm a list of the symbols and colors they are going to use before handing out the crest template for their final product. After designing their crests, students write a short paragraph of explaining their choice of symbols and colors. If time allows, I'll have students present their crests to their peers. This activity could also be used as a beginning of the year activity for students to express who they are and decorate their new classroom. Students could also create crests to represent characters or individuals in a novel, short story, or nonfiction text.

To demonstrate to students how powerful symbols can be, I incorporate a lesson on some of the propaganda posters used by Nazi Germany during World War II and the Holocaust. I select ten posters to print and hang around my classroom so that students can walk around and examine them. To begin, students infer the meaning of each poster by matching each poster with its correct English translation using the visual clues in the posters. After students have correctly matched the posters to their translations, they begin to identify patterns in the portrayals of the German people versus the Jews. Finally, students analyze symbols and color symbolism used in the posters. By the end of the lesson, students are able to see how the Nazi party to spread and preserve the basic ideas of Nazism and to dehumanize “inferior" groups.

Texts to Read
My favorite short story, "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst, is a perfect choice for teaching symbolism as the author’s use of symbolism is clear, yet multi-layered. The story is also full of beautiful imagery that contrasts the heartbreaking end to the relationship between the two brothers. I remember reading it as a ninth grade student and was delighted to find it in the literature anthology I used as a ninth grade teacher. It’s a great text for examining foreshadowing and can also be used to introduce allegory by discussing the author’s attitude toward war.

 
If you don't want to run the risk of crying in front or (or with) your students, "Through the Tunnel" by Doris Lessing, is another great choice. The main character struggles against himself, his mother, other boys, and forces of nature. Like most young people, the main character wrestles with being viewed as a child when he wants to be treated like a young adult. This coming of age story is full of imagery and symbolism, and also great for teaching the different types of conflict.

Creative Application
Once students seem comfortable with the terms or if students need a challenge, I introduce students to a digital break out, "Symbols of a Well-Read Student" for additional practice. A digital break out is an online scavenger hunt-like game where players use teamwork and critical thinking to solve a series of challenging puzzles in order to open a series of locks.

In this break out, students are hoping their current English teacher will recommend them for the advanced course next year, but she will only recommend students she considers to be "well-read" and has a list of five book titles students must read before she'll recommend them. Here's the catch; she won't directly tell students what the five book titles are. Instead, since they've just finished up a unit on symbolism, they'll have to use their knowledge of symbols and interact with a variety of text and media to figure out the titles of the books on the list.

In addition to needing content knowledge to successfully complete the game, break outs require students to think critically, communicate, collaborate, and use creativity. I also love break outs because they provide students with many opportunities to fail and try again. Every unsuccessful attempt to open a lock forces them to reexamine their information and their thinking.

Assessment
While many of the activities described above allow students to show their understanding of skills and terms, as a summative assessment I use a set of text-based assessments, each with a reading passage and 10 multiple choice questions or 7 multiple choice questions and a short written response, to assess my students’ knowledge of symbolism. 

The variety of passages and text complexity levels allows me to retest students as needed and make accommodations for struggling readers. The variety was also helpful in the years that I had classes whose eyes tended to wander during quizzes or tests.

You can find all of my resources for teaching symbolism here.

Teaching Literary Elements: Irony

Irony is one of my favorite literary elements to teach. Who doesn't love a good plot twist? I love challenging students to find their own examples of irony from songs, films, and books. Whether you are teaching the types of irony as new concepts for your students, diving in deeper, or just reviewing the basics, you'll find activities and resources below that will benefit all levels of students.

Terms to Teach
At the start of my teaching career, I taught primarily ninth grade students at an urban, Title 1 high school. My students came from a variety of K-8 schools, which meant they came with varying English Language Arts experiences. To ensure that all of my students started high school with a strong foundation in the literary elements, I found it best to give direct instruction followed by ample opportunities to apply terms and practice skills.

During my direct instruction, I introduced students to the following terms: irony, verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony. While I wouldn't have students take notes on sarcasm and coincidence, I would review how those are different from verbal irony and situational irony. Many of my students were unaccustomed to taking notes so I provided them with a guided note taking template. This three column sheet provided a structured space for the term, definition, and examples. This note taking PowerPoint has clear, concise definitions and examples plus built in guided and independent practice.

Activities for Reinforcement
Before applying these newly learned terms to a short story or novel, I like to give my students opportunities to practice using shorter texts or media. For irony, using short video clips provides great visual reinforcement. I have collected examples of verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony in this playlist. I play a few and have students identify the type of irony in the clip and explain what makes it ironic.

Another way I reinforce the types of irony is by using a menu of activities based on Bloom's Taxonomy. Students choose activities from four different section of the menu: knowledge and comprehension, application and analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students examine short text examples of different types of irony and can use their knowledge to complete tasks such as creating a cartoon illustrating one of the types of irony.

Texts to Read
There are so many great short stories that have irony in them. "The Sniper" by Liam O'Flaherty is one I often use because  I’m always looking for texts that will draw in my reluctant male readers. Anything with war, guns, or a little violence ups the appealing factor immediately. “The Sniper” is set in the 1920s during the Irish revolution. A sniper is stationed on a rooftop contemplating how he will get down before the light of dawn exposes him. I often use this text when teaching irony because of its unexpected ending.

“The Interlopers” by Saki is another short story that is sure to hook reluctant readers. It is set at night and focuses on a long-standing turf war. The two main characters are out in the forest, the disputed territory, hunting each other, but as the two men meet, a tree falls and traps both of them beneath it. The twist at the end of the story makes it another great text to use for teaching irony.

I often teach irony right before the holidays, which makes "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry another excellent short story to use because of its message about giving and thinking of others. The story is set on Christmas Eve as a young, newly married couple, Jim and Della, struggles to find gifts that are worthy of each other. Both end up giving up what they treasure most to buy a gift for their loved one, but the twist at the end of the story makes their gifts worthless. The Onion recently published this satirical piece that would be a great pairing with the short story.

Fictional short stories are great, but I like to use nonfiction when teaching irony as well. No matter how much time has passed since its sinking, the Titanic continues to be a topic that fascinates students. "RMS Titanic" by Hanson Baldwin was written 22 years after the ship's sinking and extensive research done by Baldwin, but still contains inaccuracies when compared to the knowledge we have today, which creates the instances of irony. 

Creative Application
Once students seem comfortable with the terms or if students need a challenge, I introduce students to a digital breakout, "Isn't It Ironic?" for additional practice. A digital breakout is an online scavenger hunt-like game where players use teamwork and critical thinking to solve a series of challenging puzzles in order to open a series of locks.

In this breakout, students have been given a copy of the lyrics to Alanis Morissette's song "Ironic" to analyze, but even after looking back at their notes, they are puzzled. They don't see a single example of irony in the song. They have to interact with a variety of text and media to find the lyrics that unlock the five locks, and then they can be certain that they understand irony better than Alanis Morissette.

In addition to needing content knowledge to successfully complete the game, breakouts require students to think critically, communicate, collaborate, and use creativity. I also love breakouts because they provide students with many opportunities to fail and try again. Every unsuccessful attempt to open a lock forces them to reexamine their information and their thinking.

Assessment
While many of the activities described above allow students to show their understanding of skills and terms, as a summative assessment I use a set of text-based assessments, each with a reading passage, 7 multiple choice questions, and a short written response question to assess my students’ knowledge of irony. 

The variety of passages and text complexity levels allows me to retest students as needed and make accommodations for struggling readers. The variety was also helpful in the years that I had classes whose eyes tended to wander during quizzes or tests.

You can find all of my resources for teaching irony here.