Language Arts · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Personification and Hyperbole

Personification and hyperbole come alive when students move beyond definitions to see how these devices shape meaning and emotion in writing. Active learning through drawing, creating, and discussing helps students internalize the difference between human traits and exaggeration, making abstract concepts concrete and memorable.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

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• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Personification Pictionary

Pairs take turns drawing an object or idea while their partner writes a personified description without speaking. Switch roles after 2 minutes, then share with the class and vote on the most vivid. Discuss how human traits enhance imagery.

Analyze how personification gives human qualities to inanimate objects or ideas.

Facilitation Tip

During Personification Pictionary, circulate with a checklist to note which pairs struggle to assign human qualities to objects, not just general comparisons.

What to look for

Provide students with two short poem excerpts. Ask them to identify one example of personification and explain what human quality is given to the object. Then, identify one example of hyperbole and explain its effect (humor or emphasis).

• Remember
• Understand
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

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• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Hyperbole Comic Creation

Groups select a poem excerpt with hyperbole, exaggerate scenarios into comic strips using speech bubbles. Draw 4-6 panels showing buildup to absurdity, then present and explain the emphasis created. Revise based on group feedback.

Explain the effect of hyperbole in creating emphasis or humor.

Facilitation Tip

For Hyperbole Comic Creation, remind groups to test their hyperbole’s impact by reading it aloud and observing peer reactions before finalizing.

What to look for

Display a sentence like 'The old house groaned under the weight of the snow.' Ask students to write one sentence explaining if this is personification or hyperbole and why. Then, ask them to rewrite the sentence using the other device.

• Remember
• Understand
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Give One, Get One
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Figurative Language Gallery Walk

Students post original personification and hyperbole sentences around the room. Class walks the gallery, noting examples on sticky notes and effects. Conclude with a share-out of favorites and why they work.

Construct original examples of personification and hyperbole.

Facilitation Tip

In the Figurative Language Gallery Walk, post clear anchor charts with examples of both devices to guide students’ categorization during the walk.

What to look for

Students write two original lines, one using personification and one using hyperbole. They swap with a partner and provide feedback using these prompts: 'Does the personification make the object seem more alive? Does the hyperbole create a strong image or funny effect?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Give One, Get One
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Daily Hyperbole Journal

Students write 3 hyperbolic sentences about their day, such as school events. Review next class, pair-share to refine for poetry use, emphasizing intentional exaggeration over literal truth.

Analyze how personification gives human qualities to inanimate objects or ideas.

What to look for

Provide students with two short poem excerpts. Ask them to identify one example of personification and explain what human quality is given to the object. Then, identify one example of hyperbole and explain its effect (humor or emphasis).

• Remember
• Understand
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach personification and hyperbole by modeling the thought process aloud: ‘How would this object act if it were human? How far can this exaggeration go before it feels absurd?’ Avoid teaching these devices in isolation; integrate them with poetry analysis so students see their purpose. Research shows that when students create their own examples, they internalize the devices more deeply than through passive identification alone.

Students will confidently identify personification and hyperbole in poetry, explain their effects on mood and imagery, and use them intentionally in their own writing. Success looks like students distinguishing between human traits and exaggeration, testing extremes, and revising their language for clarity and impact.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Personification Pictionary, watch for students giving objects general traits instead of human qualities. Redirect by asking, ‘What would this object do if it could move like a person?’ and have them act it out to clarify.

  During Personification Pictionary, remind students that personification requires human traits, not just any comparison. Ask them to hold up their drawings and name the specific human action or emotion they assigned to the object, reinforcing the requirement through immediate verbalization.

• During Hyperbole Comic Creation, watch for students using mild exaggerations that could be true. Redirect by asking, ‘Is this so extreme that no one would believe it? If not, how can you make it funnier or more dramatic?’

  During Hyperbole Comic Creation, have groups read their hyperbole aloud to the class and ask listeners to raise hands if they think the statement could be true. Use the response to prompt revisions toward more obvious exaggeration.

• During the Figurative Language Gallery Walk, watch for students labeling any exaggeration as hyperbole. Redirect by asking, ‘Does this exaggeration make the scene funnier or emphasize a point? If not, what makes it different from hyperbole?’

  During the Figurative Language Gallery Walk, provide a sorting mat for each group with two columns labeled ‘Hyperbole’ and ‘Not Hyperbole.’ Ask them to justify their placement by explaining the intended effect of the exaggeration.

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Methods used in this brief

• Give One, Get One