Similes, Metaphors, and Idioms…oh my! Exploring the 7 types of figurative language you need to teach in upper elementary!
I know I say it all the time, but I love teaching figurative language.
It is the language of poetry and romance, and a good metaphor or some simple but spicy alliteration can go a long way in making language a lot more interesting.
But, like all things, we must slowly step into our figurative language lessons. We can’t just come at our students with all the analogies, allusions, and different types of irony.
That is way too much for them.
We have to give them the basics and then build from there.
That is why I always focus on 7 specific types of figurative language with my students.
Today, we are going to break down the 7 types of figurative language you need to teach in upper elementary, providing examples of each and talking a little bit about how I teach them to make sure my students master them over the course of the year!
Figurative Language in Upper Elementary: Gray Area
In my classes, we focus on 7 types of figurative language, and we practice them, then practice them again, and then practice them some more. Unlike math, where 2+2 is always going to be an example of addition, figurative language is a little less straightforward. We can compare a rainstorm to a child’s mood, but we can do it using multiple types of figurative language.
Example (Simile): Ernie’s face was like a storm cloud; you could see his frustration brewing.
Example (Metaphor): Ernie was a barely contained thunderstorm, and we were just waiting for the skies to open and the tears to start flowing.
Example (Alliteration): Ernie’s freckled face barely contained the fierce storm forecasting through his eyes.
Example (Hyperbole): Ernie’s mood was the worst type of storm!
Example (Personification): Ernie’s blue eye screamed that the tsunami he had held in thus far would not be contained much longer.
Each of these examples is labeled as one kind of example, but some of them could be more than one. That is what makes figurative language so exciting and so aggravating to teach.
It introduces the gray area to our students, and the gray area is hard to teach.
Focusing on Developing a Firm Foundation
The focus in upper elementary is to develop a firm foundation for figurative language. We can’t prepare our students for every example, but we can give them the foundational knowledge that they’ll use as rules to consider when looking at an example.
When they look at an example like the ones above, they start working through the rules.
Do any of the words in the example start with the same letter? No. That rules out any chance of alliteration.
Do I see the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ anywhere in the sentence? No. That rules out similes.
Am I comparing two things? Yes. Okay, that could be a metaphor or a simile.
And on and on and on.
We teach the rules and the foundational knowledge, so students will have the tools when presented with the language they need to break down.
That is where I put my focus.
7 Types of Figurative Language you Need to Teach in Upper Elementary
The examples on this list are available in an easy to print pdf download. This is a great resource for students, or print it on a larger sheet of paper and use it as a poster in your classroom!
- Alliteration: two or more words in a sentence or line in a poem that begins with the same sound. (Example: Sally sold seashells down by the seashore.)
- Simile: using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to compare two things (Example: It was as cold as ice outside.)
- Metaphor: compares two things without using a transitional word (Example: Johnny was a clown.)
- Personification: to give human qualities to something that is not human (Example: My couch screamed when I sat down.)
- Hyperbole: to use extreme exaggeration (Example: I ate as much as ten men.)
- Idiom: has a word or phrase not meant to be taken literally (Example: Time flies when you’re having fun.)
- Onomatopoeia: use words to represent sounds (Example: The bee buzzed in my ear.)
How I Teach Figurative Langauge
Once you know the 7 types of figurative language you need to teach in upper elementary, you can start breaking down how exactly you’ll teach it.
My go-to resource for teaching figurative language is (and will always be) the flipbook.
This Figurative Language Flipbook not only goes over the 7 types of figurative language you need to teach in upper elementary, but it is also a concise, easy to find and reference guide for my students. We can work through the flipbook, find examples in our class texts, add sticky notes to pages with extra examples of each type of figurative language, and it is highly visual and fun to look at.
The flipbook is the perfect way to introduce these figurative language types.
In addition to the flipbook, we also use a lot of examples. I can introduce examples as bell ringers and ask students to identify them, or we can play board games with the examples.
I love having the Figurative Language U-KNOW decks available for small group time or to use in a center or station, and these figurative language sorts are quick to prep for a good end-of-the-day review or as a quick warm-up.
Additional Tips and Tricks for Teaching Figurative Language
We have written about the topic of figurative language many times, and we truly believe there are 7 types of figurative language that you need to teach in upper elementary. Still, teaching and reviewing those 7 types doesn’t have to be boring.
Over the years, we have shared a whole host of examples and ideas for games and activities.
For more inspiration, check out the blog posts below!
