Writing Poetry: Using Figurative Language

Active learning works for figurative language because students need to experience the tension between precision and creativity firsthand. When they struggle to craft a metaphor that actually fits, they see why quantity doesn’t replace quality. Through structured activities, they move from recognizing figurative language to owning it in their own writing.

• 7th Grade
• English Language Arts
• 4 activities
• 25 min–35 min

Learning Objectives

1. Create an original metaphor that establishes a surprising yet insightful comparison between two unlike things.
2. Compose a poem utilizing at least three distinct types of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification) to convey a specific mood or idea.
3. Analyze the impact of specific imagery choices on a reader's emotional response by comparing two poems with similar themes but different sensory details.
4. Explain how the use of personification can imbue an inanimate object or abstract concept with relatable human qualities.
5. Critique a peer's poem, identifying specific examples of figurative language and suggesting improvements for clarity and impact.

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Constructing Original Metaphors

Students receive a list of abstract concepts (grief, courage, boredom, anticipation) and must write one original metaphor or simile for each that they haven't heard before. Partners share their constructions and identify the most surprising or precise comparison. The class collects the strongest examples to use as mentor texts for their own poems.

Prepare & details

Construct a metaphor that creates a surprising and insightful comparison.

Facilitation Tip: During the Think-Pair-Share, have students first write a literal sentence about an object before crafting a metaphor, so they feel the contrast in their own words.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Sensory Image Map

Small groups choose a single subject (a storm, a crowded hallway, a fading sunset) and brainstorm specific sensory details for each of the five senses. Each group writes a stanza using at least three sense-based images, aiming for language that is concrete and specific rather than generic. Groups share and peer-evaluate for vividness.

Prepare & details

How can a writer use sensory details to create vivid and memorable imagery in a poem?

Facilitation Tip: For the Sensory Image Map, provide colored pencils so students can visually group sensory details before drafting lines of poetry.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Gallery Walk

⏱ 30 min·Whole Class

Gallery Walk: Generic vs. Specific Figurative Language

Post paired stanzas around the room -- one using generic figurative language, one using original and specific language on the same subject. Students annotate each pair with their analysis of why one is more effective. Discussion focuses on what makes specific language work: precision, surprise, and concrete detail.

Prepare & details

Evaluate the impact of different figurative language choices on the reader's emotional response.

Facilitation Tip: In the Gallery Walk, ask students to post sticky notes next to examples they think are effective, then discuss which devices actually add meaning.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

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

Role Play

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Role Play: Poet's Circle Reading

Students read their completed poems aloud in small groups. After each reading, listeners identify the single most effective figurative language choice and explain why it worked for them. Writers note which choices their audience responded to and which missed, then revise one line based on the feedback received.

Prepare & details

Construct a metaphor that creates a surprising and insightful comparison.

Facilitation Tip: During the Poet’s Circle Reading, invite students to read their revised lines aloud twice: once flatly and once with deliberate emphasis to feel the difference.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should treat figurative language as a craft skill, not just a literary device. Start with short, focused exercises where students revise a single line multiple times. Avoid lengthy lectures on definitions—let students discover the power of precision through editing their own work. Research shows that students improve faster when they revise for audience impact rather than correctness.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students revising their own language instead of just labeling others’. They should be able to explain why a particular metaphor works, not just identify it. Clear evidence of growth includes students trimming overwritten lines and replacing clichés with fresh, specific images.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share activity, watch for students who default to writing multiple metaphors instead of refining one to fit the subject precisely.

What to Teach Instead

After they pair up, ask each student to choose their strongest metaphor and explain why it works for the subject, then revise the weaker ones to be more specific or remove them entirely.

Common Misconception

During the Sensory Image Map activity, watch for students who only focus on visual details and overlook sound, touch, or smell.

What to Teach Instead

Circulate and ask guiding questions like, 'What does this object sound like when it moves?' or 'How would touching it feel?' to push them toward non-visual senses.

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk activity, watch for students who praise examples just because they see figurative language, not because it enhances meaning.

What to Teach Instead

Have them write sticky notes explaining the effect of each device, then discuss as a class which examples actually deepen the reader’s understanding.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After the Think-Pair-Share, present a short poem or stanza. Ask students to identify one metaphor, one simile, and one instance of imagery, then explain in one sentence how the imagery creates meaning.

Peer Assessment

After the Gallery Walk, have students exchange drafts with a partner. Using a checklist, partners identify two examples of figurative language and write one specific suggestion for making one of them more original or impactful.

Exit Ticket

During the Poet’s Circle Reading, ask students to write a single sentence using personification to describe a common object, then a second sentence creating an original metaphor for a feeling.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to write a two-line poem using only metaphors and similes, with no literal words, then trade with a partner to guess the subject.
• Scaffolding: Provide a word bank of sensory details for students who struggle to generate original images.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research a poet known for vivid figurative language, then mimic their style in a short poem of their own.

Key Vocabulary

Metaphor	A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as', suggesting a resemblance or analogy.
Simile	A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using 'like' or 'as' to highlight a shared quality.
Personification	Attributing human qualities, characteristics, or behaviors to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas.
Imagery	The use of vivid and descriptive language that appeals to the reader's senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) to create a mental picture.
Figurative Language	Language that uses words or expressions with a meaning that is different from the literal interpretation, often for rhetorical effect.