Alice Literary Hunt

This 50-minute lesson engages Year 8 students with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, focusing on literary devices in Chapters 1 and 2. Students will complete a scavenger hunt for literary devices in Chapter 1 excerpts, with a view to independently analysing Chapter 2 at home. This lesson aligns with the Australian Curriculum v9 English content descriptions, emphasising language features, comprehension, and analytical skills.

Curriculum alignment

Australian Curriculum Version 9

• ACELA1594 – Understand how authors innovate with text structures and language for particular purposes and effects
• ACELT1616 – Analyse and explain how text structures and language features shape meaning and influence readers
• ACELY1734 – Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing text structures, language features and vocabulary appropriate to purpose and audience
• ACELY1731 – Use interaction skills to present ideas and information in a sustained role or context

Learning objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Identify key literary devices (e.g., metaphor, simile, personification, alliteration, dialogue) in Alice in Wonderland Chapter 1.
2. Explain how these literary devices contribute to the meaning and tone of the text.
3. Collaborate effectively in a group scavenger hunt, enhancing engagement and peer learning.
4. Prepare to independently analyse Chapter 2 with confidence by applying literary device identification skills.

Differentiation note for Ethan off the couch lesson

• Provide a written checklist of literary devices with definitions and examples.
• Permit the use of a glossary or dictionary during the scavenger hunt.
• Assign a supportive peer buddy for group work for encouragement.
• Allow oral responses or drawings to represent literary devices, if written work is challenging.

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Lesson breakdown

1. Introduction and engagement (10 minutes)

• Teacher introduces Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, providing brief context about the story and its whimsical style.
• Present the lesson’s purpose: to explore how Carroll uses language creatively for effect.
• Show opening slides including a captivating illustration of the White Rabbit and a provocative question: “How does Lewis Carroll make Alice’s world so strange and magical using words?” Open with introduction and hook slides.
• Discuss briefly common literary devices and their role in fiction.

2. Guided reading and literary device hunt (20 minutes)

• Distribute excerpts from Chapter 1 (from the provided text "Down the Rabbit Hole").
• Explain the scavenger hunt task: in pairs or small groups, students find examples of literary devices in the excerpt.
• Provide a worksheet with a table listing literary devices (simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, dialogue, imagery) and space to record quotations and effects (literary devices scavenger hunt).
• Ensure students annotate the text excerpt highlighting examples.
• Circulate to support groups and prompt deeper thinking.
• Use activity instruction slides to guide the task pacing.

3. Sharing discoveries and group discussion (10 minutes)

• Invite groups to share intriguing examples they found and how they think Carroll’s use of language affects the story tone or mood.
• Facilitate a brief class discussion: How does the language make Alice’s experience feel “curiouser and curiouser”?
• Direct attention back to the slides for some model examples and explanation with key terms.

4. Setting up independent work (5 minutes)

• Explain that Chapter 2 (The Pool of Tears excerpt) will be given as homework or next class reading.
• Students will be tasked to repeat the literary device hunt independently on Chapter 2.
• Provide them with a copy of the chapter or instruct where to find it.

5. Plenary and reflection (5 minutes)

• Quick quiz or oral round robin: name a literary device and an example from today.
• Invite one or two students to share their favourite example and why.
• Reinforce how identifying literary devices helps understand text meaning and author’s intent.

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Planned resources

• introduction, activity instructions, discussion prompts, model examples, and plenary slides deck
• literary devices scavenger hunt excerpt and table

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If desired, teachers may provide extra scaffolding using printable resources from the menu, such as Character Motivation Evidence Tracker to deepen character analysis later or Peel/teel Paragraph Builder Cards for essay writing support following text study.

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