When teaching Poetry, it is often helpful to refresh or introduce students with technical words. Terms like 'metaphor', 'simile', 'stanza', 'alliteration', 'personification', 'rhyme scheme', and 'onomatopoeia' are a few important terms.
After you have read the poem ask your students to do a scavenger hunt using the storyboard creator. Give them the list again and have them create a storyboard that depicts and explains the use of each literary element in the poem! They will have an absolute blast and earn mastery of the words when they are completed. Check out the example storyboard above!
| DESCRIPTION | EXAMPLE | |
|---|---|---|
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words in a sentence or line | "While I pondered weak and weary" |
| Simile | A comparison using 'like' or 'as' | "Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping" |
| Metaphor | An implied comparison between two things | "And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor" | Personification | Giving human-like characteristics to non-human objects or abstract ideas | "[T]he Raven, sitting lonely [...] spoke only, That one word, as if his soul [...] he did outpour." |
| Onomatopoeia | The spelling of a word mimics the sound it represents | "...and so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door" |
| Assonance | The repetition of a vowel sound | "rustling of each purple curtain, Thrilled me—filled me" |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Use This Assignment With My Students", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows five or more examples of literary elements in The Raven.
Grade Level 6-12
Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery)
Type of Assignment Individual or Partner
Type of Activity: Figurative Language
Common Core Standards
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient | Emerging | Beginning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identification of Literary Elements | All literary elements are correctly identified. | Most literary elements are correctly identified. | Few literary elements are correctly identified. |
| Illustration | Illustrations show attention to the details of the story and demonstrate connection to the literary elements. | Illustrations demonstrate connection to the literary elements. | Illustrations show little connection to the literary elements. |
| Description of Literary Elements | Descriptions clearly explain what the literary elements do to enhance the story. | Most descriptions tell what the literary elements do to enhance the story. | Descriptions are unrelated to the literary elements. |
| Spelling and Grammar | Spelling and grammar is mostly accurate. Mistakes do not get in the way of understanding. | Spelling is very inaccurate and hinders full understanding. | Text is very difficult to understand. |
