When teaching poetry, it is often helpful to refresh or introduce students with technical words. “Alliteration”, “consonance”, “imagery”, “assonance”, and “synecdoche” 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 gain mastery of the words.
| DESCRIPTION | EXAMPLE | |
|---|---|---|
| Alliteration | Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words in a sentence or line | “Husky of voice- Stout of / Step” |
| Consonance | The repetition of similar consonant sounds at the ends of words | “...To discover books / Desks...” |
| Imagery | The use of descriptive or figurative language to create vivid mental imagery that appeals to the senses | “How they led / Armies / Headragged generals / Across mined / Fields / Booby-trapped / Ditches…” |
| Assonance | The repetition of a vowel sound | “How they knew what / We / Must know / Without knowing a page...” |
| Synecdoche | The use of a part of something to represent the whole | “With fists as well as / Hands...” |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows five examples of literary elements in “Women”.
Set up stations with student-created storyboards for each literary element. Encourage students to rotate and discuss what they notice at each station. This strategy promotes peer learning and deepens understanding by letting students explain and reflect on each element in context.
Give each student a specific peer-review role, such as checking for accurate definitions, analyzing images, or identifying strong examples. Structured feedback helps students refine their storyboards and build confidence in literary analysis.
Read selected lines from “Women” aloud and verbalize your thought process as you spot literary elements. Demonstrating analysis step-by-step helps students grasp how to break down poetry and apply terminology independently.
Begin each class with a brief activity where students identify or create examples of the literary elements found in “Women.” Frequent, low-stakes practice reinforces key concepts and keeps literary vocabulary fresh.
Invite students to present their storyboards or perform readings highlighting literary elements in “Women.” Celebrating learning builds enthusiasm and helps students take ownership of their new skills.
The poem 'Women' by Alice Walker features key literary elements such as alliteration, consonance, imagery, assonance, and synecdoche. These techniques enrich the poem’s language and help convey its powerful themes about strength and perseverance.
Use an interactive approach like a scavenger hunt with the Storyboard Creator. After reading the poem, have students identify and illustrate examples of each literary element, making the lesson engaging and memorable.
Yes! Alliteration: “Husky of voice- Stout of / Step.” Imagery: “Headragged generals / Across mined / Fields / Booby-trapped / Ditches…” Both create vivid sounds and mental pictures.
The best way is to have students identify each literary element in the poem, provide a text example, and illustrate it visually. Tools like Storyboard Creator make this process fun and visually engaging.
Learning literary elements helps students analyze and appreciate poetry, deepens their reading comprehension, and strengthens their own writing by exposing them to a variety of expressive techniques.