Despite being a nonfiction text, Volcanoes contains figurative language, including personification and similes. In this activity, students can display their understanding of figurative language by identifying examples, and creating a literal or figurative portrayal of the figurative language.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows three examples of figurative language in Volcanoes.
Encourage students to create original similes, metaphors, or personification inspired by volcanoes. Model examples and discuss what makes them vivid and effective. Invite creativity by connecting volcano features to everyday objects or actions.
List parts of a volcano (lava, ash, eruption, crater) on the board. Guide students to describe each using their senses. This builds a shared vocabulary and sparks ideas for figurative language.
Take a scientific fact (e.g., "Lava flows down the mountain") and demonstrate how to turn it into a simile or personification, such as "Lava raced down the mountain like a wild river." Show your thinking out loud for transparency.
Ask students to choose a volcano fact and help them craft a simile, metaphor, or personification. Encourage playful language and descriptive comparisons.
Invite students to share their figurative sentences with the class. Discuss what makes each one powerful and celebrate creative efforts. This helps reinforce learning and build confidence.
Volcanoes includes figurative language such as personification and similes, like “Mount St. Helens awakened from its long sleep” and “forests were blown down like a row of matchsticks.” These phrases help readers visualize volcanic events in creative ways.
Use Volcanoes by Seymour Simon to engage students by having them identify and illustrate examples of figurative language found in the text. Assign students to create storyboards showing each example, labeling the type (simile, personification) and providing visual representations.
A great activity is to have students identify three examples of figurative language from Volcanoes and create a storyboard for each. They can illustrate the meaning and label the type of figurative language used, making learning interactive and visual.
Nonfiction texts like Volcanoes use figurative language to make factual information more vivid and relatable. Techniques like similes and personification help students better understand and remember scientific concepts.
Literal language states facts directly, while figurative language uses comparisons or imaginative phrases. In Volcanoes, “Earth’s crust is broken into huge sections” is literal, while “like a giant cracked eggshell” is figurative, helping students visualize the concept.