English · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Personification and Hyperbole

Active learning helps students grasp figurative language because movement and discussion make abstract ideas concrete. Personification and hyperbole come alive when students act them out or craft exaggerated stories, helping them see how language choices create vivid images and emotions.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E3LT04
• AC9E3LA08

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Hundred Languages
• 20 min · Pairs

Pairs: Personification Pantomime

Pairs select objects from a poem, like whispering wind, and act them out silently while partners guess and describe the human quality. Switch roles, then discuss poem lines. Write one new example together.

Analyze how personification brings inanimate objects to life in a poem.

Facilitation Tip

During Personification Pantomime, circulate and prompt pairs to name the human trait they are embodying before acting it out.

What to look for

Provide students with two short poem excerpts. Ask them to identify one example of personification and one example of hyperbole. For each, they should write one sentence explaining its effect on the poem.

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Hundred Languages
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Hyperbole Chain Story

In groups of four, start a story with a hyperbolic sentence, like 'The rain fell in oceans.' Each adds an exaggerated line. Read aloud and identify effects on humor or drama.

Explain the effect of hyperbole in creating humor or emphasis.

Facilitation Tip

In Hyperbole Chain Story, provide a timer so groups stay focused on building one exaggerated line at a time.

What to look for

Display images of common objects (e.g., a clock, a tree, a car). Ask students to write one sentence using personification for each object. Then, ask them to write one sentence using hyperbole to describe a common situation (e.g., waiting for a bus).

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Hundred Languages
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Poem Performance Relay

Display a poem with both devices. Students line up; teacher reads a line, first student performs it with actions or exaggeration. Class echoes and notes the device used.

Design a short poem incorporating both personification and hyperbole.

Facilitation Tip

For the Poem Performance Relay, assign clear roles like reader, performer, and sound effects to keep the whole class engaged.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are writing a poem about a very rainy day. How could you use personification to describe the rain or the clouds? How could you use hyperbole to describe how long the rain lasted or how much water there was?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Hundred Languages
• 35 min · Individual

Individual: Device Mash-Up Poem

Students list five objects, personify two, add hyperbole to three lines. Draft a short poem, then share with a partner for feedback on effects.

Analyze how personification brings inanimate objects to life in a poem.

What to look for

Provide students with two short poem excerpts. Ask them to identify one example of personification and one example of hyperbole. For each, they should write one sentence explaining its effect on the poem.

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach figurative language through layered experiences: start with physical play to internalize concepts, then move to collaborative writing to refine understanding. Avoid overloading with definitions—instead, let students discover effects through trial and peer feedback. Research shows that embodied learning, especially in Year 3, strengthens metaphorical thinking and retention.

Students will confidently identify and use personification and hyperbole in context. They will explain how these devices shape meaning and engage readers in both playful and serious poetry.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Personification Pantomime, watch for students attributing any action to non-human objects, including comparisons like ‘the tree is tall like a tower.’

  Pause the activity and ask pairs to explain which human trait their object is embodying (e.g., the tree ‘waves its arms’). Use a quick class share to contrast personification with similes before resuming.

• During Hyperbole Chain Story, listen for students claiming exaggerated lines are ‘just lies’ or not believable.

  Remind groups that hyperbole is purposeful exaggeration for effect, not deception. Have them vote on which line best creates humor or emphasis, then discuss why believability isn’t the goal.

• During Poem Performance Relay, assume students think personification and hyperbole only belong in silly poems.

  Provide a mix of poem excerpts (serious and playful) and ask performers to explain how each device heightens emotion or meaning, not just humor.

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Methods used in this brief

• Hundred Languages