Voices and Visions: Advanced Literacy for 6th Class · 6th Class

Active learning ideas

Metaphor and Symbolism

Active learning works because metaphor and symbolism require students to move from passive decoding to active interpretation. When students physically hunt for symbols or craft their own metaphors, they engage with abstract ideas in concrete, memorable ways. This hands-on approach builds the confidence needed to tackle more complex texts in later years.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Reading
• NCCA: Primary - Understanding

• 15–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Symbol Safari

Place five everyday objects (a key, a mirror, a stone, a candle, a clock) on a table. Groups must brainstorm three abstract concepts each object could represent in a poem and explain why, using 'because' statements.

Analyze why a poet might choose a specific object to represent a complex human emotion.

Facilitation Tip

During Symbol Safari, circulate with guiding questions like, 'What feeling does this object suggest? Can you find a line in the poem that supports that?' to keep students focused on the connection between the concrete and the abstract.

What to look for

Provide students with a short poem excerpt containing a clear symbol. Ask them to: 1. Identify the symbol. 2. State the abstract concept it represents. 3. Write one sentence explaining their reasoning based on the poem's context.

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

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Metaphor Makeover

Give students a literal sentence (e.g., 'I was very angry'). They must work with a partner to turn it into a metaphor (e.g., 'I was a volcano ready to erupt'), then share the most creative ones with the class.

Explain how an extended metaphor deepens the meaning of a poem.

Facilitation Tip

For Metaphor Makeover, provide sentence stems like, 'The _____ is like _____ because...' to scaffold the creation of their own metaphors.

What to look for

Present students with two short phrases: one literal and one figurative interpretation of a common object (e.g., 'a red rose' vs. 'a symbol of love'). Ask them to choose the figurative interpretation and briefly explain why it's figurative, referencing the concept of symbolism.

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

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Individual

Gallery Walk: Visual Metaphors

Students draw a literal representation of a metaphor from a poem they've read. The class walks around and must guess the 'hidden meaning' or emotion the drawing represents before the artist reveals the answer.

Differentiate the meaning of a text when interpreted literally versus figuratively.

Facilitation Tip

In the Gallery Walk, assign small groups to one poster first so they can discuss their interpretations before moving to others, preventing overwhelm.

What to look for

Students bring in an object they feel represents an emotion (e.g., a smooth stone for calm). They write a short paragraph explaining the connection. Students then exchange paragraphs and objects with a partner, offering feedback on whether the connection is clear and well-explained.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start by modeling your own thinking aloud: read a short poem with a clear symbol, such as a 'broken mirror' representing fractured identity, and verbalize how you arrive at your interpretation. Avoid rushing to a single 'correct' answer; instead, validate diverse responses by asking, 'What else could this mean?' Research shows that this open-ended approach helps students develop critical thinking rather than memorizing symbolic meanings.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how a symbol connects to an emotion or idea rather than just naming the object. They should begin to recognize that multiple interpretations are valid and support their claims with evidence from the text or their own reasoning.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: Symbol Safari, watch for students who dismiss symbols as 'just things' because they don't see the deeper meaning.

  Prompt them to compare their symbol to a literal photo of the same object, asking, 'How does the feeling in the poem differ from what you see in the photo? What does the poet want us to feel?'

• During Think-Pair-Share: Metaphor Makeover, watch for students who create metaphors that are too vague or unrelated to the intended emotion.

  Have them use a 'feelings chart' to anchor their metaphors, asking them to start with an emotion and then brainstorm objects that evoke that feeling before crafting the metaphor.

---

Methods used in this brief

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