English Language · Primary 6

Active learning ideas

Understanding Figurative Language in Poetry

Active learning works well for figurative language because these abstract concepts become concrete when students physically hunt, act out, and rewrite them. When students collaborate to find examples or transform literal phrases, they see how poets compress meaning into vivid comparisons and sensory details.

• MOE Syllabus Outcomes
• MOE: Reading and Viewing - P6
• MOE: Literature - P6

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

Activity 01

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs: Figurative Language Hunt

Provide poem excerpts with metaphors, similes, personification, and imagery. Pairs underline examples, discuss literal vs. figurative meanings, and draw quick sketches to visualize them. Share one insight with the class.

Analyze how personification can bring inanimate objects to life in poetry.

Facilitation Tip

During the Figurative Language Hunt, circulate and ask pairs to explain their choice of simile or metaphor before they move to the next stanza.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, unfamiliar poem. Ask them to identify one example of personification and explain what human quality is given to the object. Then, ask them to find one example of imagery and describe which sense it appeals to.

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

Activity 02

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Personification Drama

Assign groups a poem line with personification. Students act it out: one as the object, others narrate emotions. Rotate roles, then explain how the device builds mood. Record short clips for playback.

Compare the emotional impact of different types of figurative language in a poem.

Facilitation Tip

In Personification Drama, stop groups mid-performance to ask how the human quality they assigned changes how the audience feels about the object.

What to look for

Present students with two sentences, one using a simile and one using a metaphor to describe the same concept (e.g., 'The classroom was like a zoo' vs. 'The classroom was a zoo'). Ask students to write down which sentence uses a simile and explain the difference in their impact.

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

Activity 03

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Imagery Sensory Walk

Read a poem aloud. Class stands and responds to imagery prompts by mimicking actions or sounds (e.g., 'crash of waves' with arm waves). Discuss how senses enhance theme. Vote on most effective image.

Explain how imagery contributes to the overall mood and theme of a poetic piece.

Facilitation Tip

For the Imagery Sensory Walk, provide blindfolds for some stations to force focus on non-visual senses like texture or sound.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How does the poet's choice between using a simile or a metaphor affect the reader's understanding or feeling about the subject?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share examples from poems studied.

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

Activity 04

• Hexagonal Thinking
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Metaphor Maker

Students list 5 everyday objects, create metaphors or similes for each, and write a short poem stanza. Peer swap to interpret, noting emotional impact.

Analyze how personification can bring inanimate objects to life in poetry.

Facilitation Tip

When students create Metaphor Makers, require them to write a short explanation of why their metaphor works better than a literal statement.

What to look for

Provide students with a short, unfamiliar poem. Ask them to identify one example of personification and explain what human quality is given to the object. Then, ask them to find one example of imagery and describe which sense it appeals to.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach figurative language by starting with familiar examples before moving to poems, so students recognize devices in everyday speech first. Avoid overloading with terminology—instead, emphasize the effect of the device on the reader. Research shows that when students create their own metaphors, they internalize the concept more deeply than through passive identification tasks alone.

Successful learning looks like students explaining why a poet chose a metaphor over a simile or how personification shifts a reader’s emotional response. They should justify their thinking with evidence from the text and connect devices to mood or theme.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Figurative Language Hunt, watch for students who identify any unusual word as figurative language without considering its purpose.

  Ask pairs to explain how the simile or metaphor helps the reader visualize or feel the subject before they categorize it.

• During Personification Drama, watch for students who assign human qualities without considering how it shifts the reader’s perspective.

  Prompt groups to explain which emotion or idea the personification evokes in the audience and why that choice matters.

• During Imagery Sensory Walk, watch for students who focus only on visual details and ignore other senses.

  Have students close their eyes at one station and describe what they hear or feel to reinforce multi-sensory engagement.

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Methods used in this brief

• Hexagonal Thinking