Figurative Language Teaching Resources
You use figurative language in your classroom every day, but if you are on the hunt for figurative language worksheets, chances are you are struggling to find good resources for your lesson plans. Our teacher-created resource collection has you covered with instructional slide decks about idioms, onomatopoeia writing activities, figurative language anchor charts and more figurative fun.
Each resource has been reviewed by the teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure it's curriculum-aligned so students can meet Common Core and state-level standards.
Hey, we don't all teach the same classes every year, and between the list of students with peanut allergies and the latest mandate from administration, you've got a lot of information already packed into your brain. Let the expert ELA teachers on our Teach Starter team provide a quick refresher course. (Already know the answer? Feel free to skip right to downloading the printable activities and worksheets!)
What Is Figurative Language? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Do you need a simple way to explain what figurative language is to your students? Try this definition from our teacher team:
Figurative language is the term we use to describe words that aren't literally or strictly true in order to convey meaning. Wait, huh?
Think of it this way — if you say your friend says the homework was a piece of cake, you know they're using an idiom, but you also know what they mean. That's using figurative language!
Literal Language vs. Figurative Language — What's the Difference?
Figurative language gives meaning to something by referencing something else. So how is it different from literal language?
Literal language is more explicit.
Let's take the "piece of cake" example above.
If that student were being literal, they could have simply said, "That homework was so easy!"
While figurative language is more colorful and fun for the reader, it can also make reading comprehension challenging for students, particularly multi-lingual learners.
Something else to consider?
Children's figurative language acquisition and development aren't just crucial for reading and writing — studies show they're also a core part of social and emotional learning as children learn better ways to express their feelings.
And let's face it — metaphors, hyperbole, idioms, and all types of figurative language make reading and writing more engaging and exciting. In turn, helping us encourage students to develop a lifelong love of reading.
Figurative Language Examples for Your Students
As you're sitting down to lesson plan and explore this teaching resource collection, we thought a look at the main figurative language examples might help! Here are examples of all of the types of figurative language that our teacher team has covered in this collection, with editable options that allow you to differentiate lessons to meet the needs of each student in your classroom:
- Similes
- Metaphors
- Personification
- Alliteration
- Onomatopoeia
- Idioms
- Oxymorons
- Hyperbole
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What Does It Really Mean? - Hyperbole Task Cards
Identify and interpret hyperboles used in sentences.
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Figurative Language Anchor Chart - Onomatopoeia
Help young readers and writers recognize figurative language and onomatopoeia with a set of onomatopoeia anchor charts.
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Interpret Figurative Language Poster
Provide students with a visual reminder of the types of figurative language with this classroom display poster.
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Simile and Metaphor Self-Portrait Worksheet
Teach students about similes and metaphors by asking them to describe... themselves!
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Elements of Poetry Worksheet - Idioms
A poem paired with a worksheet to help students understand idioms in poetry.
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Celebrating Poetry Month in the Primary Grades – Weeks 4 and 5
Celebrate National Poetry Month in the primary classroom with this planning guide and set of resources.
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Exploring Poetry - Year 3 and Year 4 Unit Plan
This English unit addresses common poetic devices such as sound play, word play and imagery and explores how these may be applied to narrative poetry.
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Idioms
A 60 minute lesson in which students will explore some commonly used idioms.
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Figurative Language
A 60 minute lesson in which students will identify and investigate figurative language in poetry.
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Word Play in Poetry
A 60 minute lesson in which students will identify and explore word play in poetry.
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Sound Play in Poetry - Alliteration
A 60 minute lesson in which students will identify and explore alliteration in poetry.
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Exploring Poetic Devices
A 60 minute lesson in which students will explore the common literary devices found in poetry.
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Teachers' Favorite Fall Poems for Kids to Add to Your Classroom Poetry List
Bring autumn into the classroom with fall poems for kids from classic authors plus teacher-created activities to teach personification, onomatopoeia, and more elements of poetry.