Language Arts · Grade 7

Active learning ideas

Figurative Language in Narrative

Active learning helps students move beyond memorizing definitions by engaging directly with figurative language in context. When students hunt, create, and perform, they see how similes and metaphors shape imagery, personification builds mood, and hyperbole sharpens emotion. This hands-on approach makes abstract concepts concrete and memorable for grade 7 learners.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 35 min · Pairs

Annotation Pairs: Figurative Hunt

Provide a narrative excerpt. In pairs, students highlight similes, metaphors, personification, and hyperbole, then note their effects on meaning in a shared chart. Pairs present one example to the class for group discussion.

Analyze how a specific metaphor deepens the reader's understanding of a character's emotions.

Facilitation Tip

During Annotation Pairs, circulate to listen for students explaining comparisons aloud, not just underlining—this builds verbal articulation of imagery effects.

What to look for

Present students with short passages from a familiar story. Ask them to underline one example of a simile or metaphor and write one sentence explaining what two things are being compared and what image this creates.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 45 min · Small Groups

Creation Stations: Device Workshops

Set up four stations, one per device. Small groups spend 8 minutes at each inventing examples tied to a story prompt, recording in journals. Groups share favorites at the end.

Differentiate between simile and metaphor and explain their distinct effects on imagery.

Facilitation Tip

In Creation Stations, model how to brainstorm possibilities before drafting, so students connect figurative choices to intended mood or character traits.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How does the author's use of personification in this paragraph about the old house help you feel the mood of the story?' Encourage students to point to specific words or phrases and explain their effect.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 30 min · Whole Class

Performance Circle: Hyperbole Dramas

Whole class forms a circle. Students volunteer short hyperbole skits based on narrative events. Class identifies the device and discusses its impact on humor or tension.

Evaluate the effectiveness of personification in creating a vivid setting or mood.

Facilitation Tip

For Hyperbole Dramas, remind students to exaggerate not just volume, but also pacing and facial expressions to heighten comic or tense effects.

What to look for

Give each student a card with a simple sentence (e.g., 'The sun was hot'). Ask them to rewrite the sentence twice: once using a simile and once using hyperbole, to make it more descriptive or impactful.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 25 min · Individual

Rewrite Relay: Enhance Descriptions

Individually, students rewrite a plain descriptive passage using one figurative device. Pass papers in a chain for peer additions, then reflect on improvements.

Analyze how a specific metaphor deepens the reader's understanding of a character's emotions.

Facilitation Tip

During Rewrite Relay, provide sentence stems like 'The room felt ____, like ____' to scaffold similes and metaphors for reluctant writers.

What to look for

Present students with short passages from a familiar story. Ask them to underline one example of a simile or metaphor and write one sentence explaining what two things are being compared and what image this creates.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this topic by modeling think-alouds that unpack how figurative language serves narrative purpose. They avoid teaching devices in isolation, focusing instead on how each one shapes imagery, emotion, or character perception. Research shows that repeated, low-stakes practice with peer discussion and immediate feedback builds confidence and accuracy faster than worksheets alone.

Successful learning shows when students can identify figurative devices in unfamiliar texts, explain their effects on imagery and mood, and apply them creatively in their own writing. They move from passive recognition to active interpretation and production. Clear evidence appears in their discussions, annotations, and rewritten passages.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Annotation Pairs, watch for students grouping similes and metaphors together despite their different structures.

  Use the example cards from Annotation Pairs to sort devices first by structure (with 'like' or 'as' vs. direct equation) before discussing imagery effects.

• During Creation Stations, watch for students limiting personification to nature or animals only.

  Provide role-play cards with everyday objects like a toaster or traffic light to expand their ideas of what can be personified.

• During Hyperbole Dramas, watch for students treating hyperbole as random silliness without narrative purpose.

  Ask students to explain in one sentence how their exaggerated line heightens the scene’s emotion or humor before performing.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Hexagonal Thinking