English Language Arts · 8th Grade

Active learning ideas

Figures of Speech: Irony, Puns, Personification

Active learning works because figures of speech rely on interpretation and context. Students must engage with language creatively to see how irony, puns, and personification shape meaning. Moving beyond definitions to application helps them connect these tools to theme and tone in real texts.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5.a

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Metaphor Map

Groups choose a central theme from a book (e.g., 'loneliness') and find three metaphors the author uses to describe it. They must draw the literal image of the metaphor and then write an explanation of how that image perfectly captures the 'feeling' of the theme.

How does figurative language help a reader visualize abstract concepts?

Facilitation Tip

During The Metaphor Map, circulate to push students beyond literal examples by asking, 'How does this image challenge the reader’s expectations?'

What to look for

Provide students with three short sentences, each containing one of the target figures of speech. Ask them to identify the figure of speech in each sentence and write one sentence explaining its effect on the reader's understanding or visualization.

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

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 30 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Irony or Sarcasm?

Give students various scenarios and quotes. They must move to different corners of the room based on whether the example is 'Verbal Irony,' 'Situational Irony,' or 'Dramatic Irony.' In their corners, they must prepare a 30-second defense of their choice to 'convince' the other groups.

Why do authors use verbal irony to convey a deeper truth?

Facilitation Tip

For the Irony or Sarcasm debate, assign roles to ensure every student participates, not just the most vocal.

What to look for

Present students with a short passage from literature that uses irony. Ask: 'Why do you think the author chose to use verbal irony here instead of stating the idea directly? What does this choice reveal about the author's message or the character speaking?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Pun-Off

Students are given a 'dry' sentence (e.g., 'The baker was tired'). In pairs, they must rewrite it using a pun or personification (e.g., 'The dough was being stubborn'). They share their most creative rewrite and the class votes on which one makes the scene more vivid.

What is the relationship between a metaphor and the theme of a text?

Facilitation Tip

In the Pun-Off, limit responses to 10 seconds to keep energy high and prevent overthinking.

What to look for

Give students a list of common objects or abstract concepts (e.g., a clock, a storm, happiness). Ask them to write one sentence personifying each item. Collect and quickly review for correct application of the device.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach figures of speech by anchoring them in purpose, not just definition. Start with clear examples, then ask students to reverse-engineer the effect. Use mentor texts where these devices shape theme or mood, so students see them as tools, not tricks. Avoid overloading with too many devices at once; focus on one at a time with deliberate practice.

Successful learning looks like students confidently identifying figures of speech in context and explaining their purpose. They should articulate how these tools create deeper meaning, not just label them. Discussions and debates reveal their growing analytical skills.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Metaphor Map, watch for students who confuse irony with coincidence or sarcasm with simple insults.

  Use the 'Coincidence vs. Irony' sorting cards included in the activity. Have students discuss each card as a group, explaining whether it meets the criteria of irony (opposite of expectation with intentional meaning).

• During Think-Pair-Share: Pun-Off, watch for students who dismiss puns as silly or childish, missing their rhetorical power.

  In the Mood Match activity, provide excerpts from Shakespeare or Mark Twain where puns create wordplay that reveals character or theme. Ask students to explain how the pun serves the text beyond humor.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Formal Debate
• Think-Pair-Share