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We have done a LOT with figurative language in 5th grade this year. The students are making poetry books which you can read about here. We’ve also created some posters! But this idea I’m sharing today might just be my very favorite – figurative language foldable!

 

 

Now that we’ve got this done we have asked the students to refer back to again and again! It is a very basic format that I’m sure many have used over and over, but it’s effective! So here we go…

 

 

• Title – Figurative Language by Student’s Name
• idiom – a phrase or expression that means something different from what the word actually says – “over his head” “hang in there”
• onomatopeia – the use of a word whose sound suggests it meaning “clang” “buzz”
• jargon – language used in a certain profession or by a particular group of people. computer jargon – CPU, ram, bit byte
• imagery – words and phrases that create high sensory experiences for the reader – these show what you mean, they do not just tell it in a boring way
• symbolism – in literature, the serious and extensive use of symbols – Roman Numerals, skull & bones=danger, + = / x
• simile – a comparison of two unlinke things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used – She stood shaking like a freshly caught trout when she got in trouble.
• metaphor – a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically different but have something in common – unlike simile, metaphors do not use like or as – The apple of my eye. He has a heart of stone.
• personification – a form of metaphor in which language relates to human action, motivation, and emotion is used to refer to abstract concepts – The weather is smiling on us today. Love is blind.
• alliteration – the repetition of initial consonant sounds in words – rough and ready – Willy washes windows with Waldo
• slang – very informal usage in vocabulary and idiom that is characteristically more playful or vivid than ordinary language
• dialect – a particular varieety of language spoken in one place by a distict group of people – y’all in the south

You can add any other terms your students need to know as well. That’s the great part about this activity! The figurative language foldable is as diverse as you want or need it to be!

Our students have been referring to these over and over again. They have worked wonders while creating our poetry books with different figurative language and poems! This figurative language foldable would be great as an introduction to figurative language, great for review, and it will even work if you need a refresher for test prep! The options are pretty limitless with this one!