English · Year 5

Active learning ideas

Metaphor and Meaning: Figurative Language

Active learning works well for figurative language because students need to wrestle with abstract ideas before they can truly grasp them. When students collaborate to map metaphors or discuss cultural symbols, they move from passive reading to active meaning-making, which builds deeper understanding.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9E5LA06
• AC9E5LT04

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Metaphor Mapping

Give groups an abstract concept (like 'Friendship' or 'Fear'). They must brainstorm five concrete objects that could represent it and explain the connection (e.g., 'Friendship is a bridge because it connects two people'). They present their 'map' to the class.

How does a metaphor allow a writer to describe something abstract in concrete terms?

Facilitation Tip

During Metaphor Mapping, circulate and ask guiding questions such as, ‘What emotions or images does this metaphor create for you?’ to push students beyond surface-level answers.

What to look for

Provide students with a short poem. Ask them to identify one metaphor, write it down, and then explain in one sentence what abstract idea it represents using concrete terms. For example, 'The classroom was a zoo' represents the abstract idea of chaos.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Simile vs. Metaphor Swap

Pairs take a list of similes (using 'like' or 'as') and rewrite them as direct metaphors. They then discuss which version feels 'stronger' or more 'poetic' and why, sharing their favorite transformation with the class.

What is the difference between an explicit comparison and an implied one?

Facilitation Tip

For the Simile vs. Metaphor Swap, model think-alouds when comparing sentences to make the differences explicit before pairing students.

What to look for

Present students with two sentences: 'The internet is a highway' and 'The internet is like a highway'. Ask: 'What is the difference in how these sentences compare the internet to a highway? Which one is a metaphor, and which is a simile? Explain your reasoning.'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Cultural Symbols

Display images of symbols from various Asia-Pacific and First Nations cultures. Students move in groups to guess what each symbol might represent (e.g., water for life, a circle for community) before revealing the actual cultural meaning.

How can symbols change meaning depending on the cultural context of the reader?

Facilitation Tip

In the Gallery Walk, set a timer for each station and remind students to note not just what a symbol means but why their interpretation might differ from others.

What to look for

Display images of common symbols (e.g., a dove, a heart, a national flag). Ask students to write down what each symbol represents. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining how the cultural context might influence the symbol's meaning.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach figurative language by grounding abstract concepts in concrete comparisons students can visualize. Avoid teaching metaphors and similes in isolation; instead, embed them in rich texts and discussions. Research shows that students grasp figurative language best when they see its purpose—how it deepens emotion, clarifies ideas, or creates imagery.

Successful learning looks like students confidently distinguishing between literal and figurative language and explaining how metaphors and symbols add layers of meaning. You’ll know students are progressing when they use figurative language in their own discussions and writing with purpose.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: Metaphor Mapping, watch for students who label metaphors as ‘fancy words’ without explaining the new layers of meaning they add.

  After mapping metaphors, ask students to write a sentence explaining what the metaphor reveals about the subject. For example, if they map ‘time is a thief,’ they should explain that this metaphor suggests time takes things away without permission.

• During Gallery Walk: Cultural Symbols, watch for students who assume symbols have universal meaning.

  During the Gallery Walk, have students jot down their interpretation and then compare it with a partner’s. Ask, ‘Why might someone from a different culture see this symbol differently?’ to highlight the culture-bound nature of symbols.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk