Figurative Language Focus

Lesson 4 of 12 in the Unit: Love Poetry in English

Subject: English
Year Level: Year 7
Lesson Duration: 75 minutes
Class Size: 25 students

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Curriculum Links

Australian Curriculum: English (Version 9.0)
Level: Year 7
Strand: Language | Literature | Literacy

• AC9E7LA03: Recognise and analyse how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary contributes to the development of individual style in literary texts.
• AC9E7LE01: Investigate and interpret the ways authors use text structures and language features to shape meaning and influence audiences.
• AC9E7LY03: Understand how figurative language creates subtle meaning to benefit comprehension and analysis.

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Lesson Title

Understanding Figurative Language

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Lesson Description

In this lesson, students will explore, interpret, and analyse the use of figurative language—specifically similes, metaphors, and personification—in selected love poems. Engaging classroom activities will help consolidate understanding and encourage creativity. Students will work collaboratively and independently to apply their knowledge to both analysis and original composition.

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Learning Intentions

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Recognise and define similes, metaphors, and personification.
• Identify examples of these devices in love poems.
• Explain how these techniques shape meaning and emotion in poetry.
• Create their own figurative expressions within a love poem context.

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Success Criteria

Students will demonstrate success by:

• Accurately identifying examples of figurative language in a selected poem.
• Successfully explaining the effect of the figurative device in context.
• Collaboratively generating examples of similes, metaphors, and personifications.
• Creating original figurative lines in a short poetic draft.

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Materials

• Printed excerpts from love poems (provided below)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Figurative Language Sorting Cards (teacher-created)
• Student journals or notebooks
• Digital device for reflection (optional)
• A3 paper for group work
• “Magic Metaphor Dice” (custom dice—see Extension section)

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Poem Excerpts for Use

Students will analyse selected stanzas/extracts from:

• Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
• A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns
• Love and Friendship by Emily Brontë

(All excerpts pre-selected to showcase specific figurative devices and modified slightly for age appropriateness where necessary.)

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Lesson Sequence

🔔 Entry Activity (10 mins) – “Poet’s Passport Warm-up”

Purpose: Activate prior knowledge

• On the board, write three lines:

  1. “Her smile was as radiant as the morning sun.”
  2. “Love is a battlefield.”
  3. “The lonely rose wept beneath the stars.”

• Students write individually in journals:
  ➤ Which lines stand out to you most? Why?
  ➤ Do any of the lines remind you of love or emotions? How?

Group Share (3 mins) – Nominate 2 students to share responses aloud.

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📚 Direct Instruction (10 mins) – “Let’s Name That Device!”

Teacher Explanation + Modelling

• Explain and define:

  • Simile: A comparison using "like" or "as"
  • Metaphor: A direct comparison without "like" or "as"
  • Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things

• Write one example on the board for each device and break it down with the class. Include an exaggerated or humorous metaphor to retain interest (e.g. “My love is a Wi-Fi signal—strong until it isn’t.”)

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🧠 Guided Practice (15 mins) – “Poetry Detectives”

Group Activity

• Split class into 5 groups of 5.
• Give each group an A4 excerpt from a poem (listed earlier) and a figurative language key card.
• Groups highlight examples of figurative language and identify which device is being used.

Group Task:

1. Highlight words/phrases that show figurative language.
2. Write a sentence explaining the effect (e.g. This simile compares love to summer – it feels short and beautiful.)
3. Display understanding on A3 poster for class gallery.

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🧩 Creative Thinking Challenge (15 mins) – “Mix-and-Match Love Lines”

Instructions:

• Give each student a figurative language puzzle card:
  • Cards contain halves of a simile, metaphor, or personification.
  • Students pair up to complete full poetic sentences.
  • Example: One card says, “Her laugh was like—" another says " …the splash of stars in a midnight pool.”

Extension Challenge: Pairs must now tweak the line to create a more original version, and decide which category the device belongs to.

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✍️ Independent Task (15 mins) – “Lines from the Heart”

Instructions for Students:

• In your journals, compose one stanza (4 lines) containing at least:
  • One simile
  • One metaphor
  • One personification

Prompt them with:
"Imagine you're sending a love note to the universe. How would you describe love using vivid comparisons?”

Encourage metaphorical risks.
Remind: “You don’t need to make sense; you only need to feel.”

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📣 Reflection & Sharing (5 mins)

• Choose one volunteer from each group to read their favourite figurative line aloud.
• Foster a warm and supportive environment.
• Optional: Class votes for "Most Magical Metaphor", "Sweetest Simile" etc.

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🎲 Extension / Early Finisher Activity – “Magic Metaphor Dice”

• Students roll 3 dice made in advance:
  • Dice A: Emotion (love, heartbreak, longing, excitement)
  • Dice B: Object (cloud, river, flame, mirror)
  • Dice C: Sense (taste, sound, sight, touch, smell)
• Use the combo to generate a metaphor:
  “Longing is a mirror that tastes of salt.”

Great for fast finishers or differentiated extension.

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Assessment (Formative)

During the lesson, assess students by:

• Observing participation in group work
• Evaluating the correct identification of devices and explanations
• Reviewing poetic stanzas in journals for evidence of learning

Teacher notes progress informally and provides verbal feedback during creation sections.

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Differentiation

• Support:

  • Use visual aids (figurative language posters).
  • Provide structured sentence stems.
  • Offer one-on-one guidance during journal writing.

• Extension:

  • Encourage students to connect figurative language to contemporary song lyrics.
  • Invite deeper analysis of tone and imagery.

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Resources Needed

• Figurative language poster for classroom wall
• Highlighters, A3 display paper
• “Mix-and-Match” puzzle cards (laminated for reuse)
• Printed poem excerpts
• “Magic Metaphor Dice” or dice template

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Teacher Reflection Prompt (Post-Lesson)

• Did students begin connecting language choice with emotion?
• Which activity allowed deepest engagement or understanding?
• Do students need revision on identifying devices or were they ready to apply?

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🌟 Bonus Touch – Poet’s Wall

Take the best student-created lines from the lesson and add them to a class “Poet’s Wall”, displayed across the back wall of the classroom. Use speech bubbles and calligraphy fonts for impact. Revisit and add poems in future lessons to visually track learning.

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Next Lesson Preview

Lesson 5 – Comparing Traditional and Contemporary Love Poems
We will explore how the language and tone of love poems vary across time.

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This lesson is creative, standards-aligned, and empowers students as both analytical readers and emerging poets. It brings literature to life through accessible yet deep engagement with figurative language.