English · Class 6

Active learning ideas

Symbolism in Literature

Active learning works well for symbolism because students need repeated practice to move from spotting objects to interpreting layered meanings. Concrete activities make abstract ideas like ‘love’ or ‘turmoil’ tangible through objects and actions they can discuss and debate.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• CBSE: Literary Devices - Symbolism - Class 6

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

Activity 01

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 20 min · Pairs

Symbol Hunt in Poems

Students read a short poem and list objects, then discuss their possible symbolic meanings in pairs. They share findings with the class. This reinforces identification skills.

How does an author use a concrete object to represent an abstract idea?

Facilitation Tip

For Symbol Hunt in Poems, give each pair a highlighter and a poem with clear symbols so they mark and discuss in real time.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a story or poem. Ask them to identify one object that might be a symbol and write down what they think it represents, explaining their reasoning in 1-2 sentences.

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

Activity 02

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 25 min · Individual

Create Your Symbol

Each student picks an emotion and draws an object to represent it, then writes a sentence explaining the symbolism. Display and guess in class.

Differentiate between a literal object and its symbolic meaning in a text.

Facilitation Tip

During Create Your Symbol, remind students that their symbols should be familiar objects but carry a meaning unique to their story context.

What to look for

Present students with the image of a common Indian symbol, like a peacock or a banyan tree. Ask: 'What ideas or feelings does this image bring to mind? How is it similar to or different from how we find symbols in stories?'

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

Activity 03

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 30 min · Small Groups

Story Symbol Analysis

In small groups, analyse a story excerpt for symbols and their impact on the plot. Present key findings.

Analyze the significance of recurring symbols in a given literary work.

Facilitation Tip

In Symbol Charades, insist on two clues—one literal and one symbolic—so peers see the contrast clearly.

What to look for

Read aloud a brief passage containing a clear symbol. Ask students to hold up fingers to indicate: 1 for literal meaning, 2 for symbolic meaning. Then, ask a few students to explain their choice.

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

Activity 04

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 15 min · Whole Class

Symbol Charades

Whole class plays where one acts out a symbol from literature, others guess the meaning.

How does an author use a concrete object to represent an abstract idea?

Facilitation Tip

For Story Symbol Analysis, model annotating one paragraph together before letting groups work independently.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a story or poem. Ask them to identify one object that might be a symbol and write down what they think it represents, explaining their reasoning in 1-2 sentences.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should avoid telling students the ‘correct’ meaning of a symbol. Instead, guide them to gather evidence from the text, compare interpretations, and respect multiple valid readings. Research shows that discussions where students defend their views deepen analytical thinking more than closed-ended answers.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining why an author chose a specific symbol and what it might represent beyond the literal. They should compare interpretations, justify their views, and apply this skill to both familiar and new texts.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Symbol Hunt in Poems, students may point to every object as a symbol.

  Remind them to focus only on objects that carry emotional or thematic weight, not everyday items like ‘the ground’ or ‘the sky’ unless the poet specifically uses them symbolically.

• During Create Your Symbol, students assume their symbol should mean the same thing to everyone.

  Prompt them to write a short story context where the symbol’s meaning shifts based on the scene, showing that meanings are context-dependent.

• During Symbol Charades, students act out the literal meaning instead of the symbolic one.

  Have them present both actions and ask peers to guess which is literal and which is symbolic before revealing their intended meaning.

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Methods used in this brief

• Hexagonal Thinking