English · Year 3

Active learning ideas

Rhetorical Devices: Repetition & Alliteration

Active learning lets students hear and feel how repetition and alliteration shape persuasive language. By creating, performing, and analyzing real phrases, they move beyond definitions to experience why these devices grab attention and stick in memory.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E3LA09

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

Activity 01

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs: Slogan Showdown

Pairs brainstorm persuasive slogans for a product using alliteration, then add repetition for emphasis. They share with the class and vote on the most memorable. Provide word banks for support.

Analyze how repetition can strengthen a persuasive message.

Facilitation Tip

During Slogan Showdown, circulate with a checklist to note which pairs can clearly explain why their device choice works for their target audience.

What to look for

Provide students with a short advertisement script. Ask them to circle all examples of repetition and underline all examples of alliteration. Then, have them write one sentence explaining why the advertiser might have used these devices.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Speech Analysis Relay

Divide speeches or ads among groups. Each group identifies repetition or alliteration, notes effects, and passes findings to the next group for expansion. Conclude with whole-class discussion.

Explain the effect of alliteration in making a slogan more catchy and memorable.

Facilitation Tip

In Speech Analysis Relay, pause mid-relay to ask follow-up questions to groups still debating the speaker’s intent behind repetition.

What to look for

Present students with a list of phrases, some using repetition, some using alliteration, and some using neither. Ask students to sort the phrases into three categories: Repetition, Alliteration, or Neither. Review their sorting as a class.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 20 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Repetition Chant Circle

Students stand in a circle and create a class chant on a topic like recycling, passing the repetitive phrase around. Add alliteration to refine. Record for playback and reflection.

Design a short persuasive statement using both repetition and alliteration.

Facilitation Tip

For Repetition Chant Circle, model the first chant slowly so the rhythm builds clearly before students join in.

What to look for

Ask students: 'Imagine you are creating a slogan for a new brand of crunchy cookies. How could you use repetition or alliteration to make it sound delicious and exciting? Share your ideas with a partner and then with the class.'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Individual

Individual: Device Remix

Students select a persuasive text, rewrite it with added repetition and alliteration, then explain changes in a short journal entry. Share volunteers' work.

Analyze how repetition can strengthen a persuasive message.

What to look for

Provide students with a short advertisement script. Ask them to circle all examples of repetition and underline all examples of alliteration. Then, have them write one sentence explaining why the advertiser might have used these devices.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach these devices by moving from sound to sense. Have students listen first, then speak, then analyze, and finally create. Avoid front-loading definitions; instead, let students discover patterns through repeated exposure and guided conversation. Research shows that students grasp rhetorical devices better when they experience their emotional and rhythmic effects before labeling them.

Success looks like students confidently identifying devices in everyday texts, explaining their purpose, and using them creatively in their own slogans and short speeches. Collaborative tasks reveal their understanding through peer discussion and performance.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Slogan Showdown, watch for students who treat repetition as random copying instead of deliberate reinforcement.

  Have these pairs present their slogan to the class and ask peers to vote on which version felt more convincing, then discuss how adding or removing repetition changed the impact.

• During Slogan Showdown, watch for students who confuse alliteration with rhyme.

  Ask these pairs to clap the initial sounds of each word in their slogan and compare it to the ending sounds to highlight the focus on beginning sounds.

• During Speech Analysis Relay, watch for students who dismiss repetition and alliteration as only poetic tools.

  Direct these groups to rewrite the speech without the devices and present both versions, then discuss how the rhythm and memorability changed.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inside-Outside Circle