Strong Words, Strong Images

Overview

Students explore how writers use figurative and poetic language to create vivid images and engage a specific audience. They identify and deliberately select strong language, then apply it to a short piece of entertaining writing.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify imagery, personification, figurative language, alliteration, and idioms.
• WALT explain how strong word choices affect a reader.
• WALT choose language that suits a purpose and audience.
• WALT use poetic or interesting language to entertain and engage a reader.

Success criteria

• I can identify different types of strong language.
• I can explain the image or feeling a phrase creates.
• I can choose language that matches my purpose and audience.
• I can use at least two strong language choices in my own writing.

Curriculum links

• English — Writing: deliberately selecting and using literary devices, including simile, metaphor, and personification, to create vivid images and effects.
• English — Writing: using figurative language, such as similes and metaphors, to create vivid images and engage the reader.
• English — Writing: making deliberate choices about content and language based on how writing may affect others.
• English — Writing to entertain: using poetic or interesting language to engage the reader.

Lesson structure (20 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Hook: What makes words powerful? Display the opening question and image from the strong-words introduction slides: “Which sentence would make you want to keep reading?” Read aloud: “The rain fell” and “The rain drummed impatient fingers on the roof.” Students show a thumb vote, then briefly explain which sentence creates the stronger image and why.

2. 3–7 min · Teach and model: Name the choices. Use the strong-words introduction slides to introduce the language types, modelling each with a short example: imagery — “The lake glittered like glass”; personification — “The wind whispered”; alliteration — “silver snakes slid”; idiom — “I was over the moon”; and figurative language as language that goes beyond its literal meaning. Students help identify the device and describe the picture, sound, or feeling it creates.

3. 7–10 min · Sort and discuss: Which words work? Give pairs the Figurative Language Cards and display the sorting instructions on the strong-words activity slides. Students choose four cards, name each language type, and discuss where it might suit an entertaining text. Pairs share one example and explain its effect on an audience.

4. 10–12 min · Guided choice: Match purpose and audience. Show three writing situations in the strong-words activity slides: a spooky story for classmates, a humorous school newsletter piece, and an exciting adventure opening. Model selecting language for one situation, thinking aloud: “A spooky story may need shadowy imagery and personification, while a humorous piece may suit an idiom.” Students choose one situation and orally suggest a strong phrase.

5. 12–18 min · Independent writing: Create an engaging opening. Distribute the strong-words writing worksheet. Students write a three- to five-sentence opening for their chosen situation. They must include at least two different strong-language choices, underline them, and label each one. Remind students to choose language deliberately rather than inserting words that do not fit. Circulate and ask: “What will your reader picture?” and “Why is this choice suitable for your audience?”

6. 18–20 min · Share and reflect. Display the reflection prompts on the strong-words plenary slides. Students read one strong phrase to a partner, who identifies its type and describes its effect. Invite two or three students to share with the class. Students complete the worksheet reflection: “My strongest word choice was … because it makes the reader …”

Resources

• the strong-words slide deck
• the strong-words writing worksheet
• the Figurative Language Cards
• Whiteboard and pens
• Pencils or coloured pencils
• Timer

Assessment

• During modelling and sorting, listen for accurate identification of language types and explanations of their effects.
• Confer with writers, checking that choices are deliberate, suitable for the selected audience, and used accurately.
• Use the labelled writing and reflection to assess whether students can apply at least two strong-language choices and explain their impact.

Differentiation

• Support students with a displayed word bank, oral rehearsal with a partner, and sentence starters such as “The ___ was like ___” and “The ___ seemed to ___.”
• Allow students to select from the cards before writing and scribe or speech-to-text ideas for students who need writing support.
• For EAL learners, clarify idioms explicitly, explain that they are not usually literal, and invite use of familiar images or experiences.
• Extend confident writers by asking them to combine two devices carefully, such as alliteration with personification, and explain why the combination suits their audience.