KNOW YOUR LITERARY TERMS!

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Simile Metaphor Hyperbole Alliteration Onomatopoeia Personification

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Simile: A comparison between two unlike things, using “like” or “as”

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Simile Example: The horse ate so much hay it was as large as a house. Your eyes sparkle like the sun.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike things, not using “like” or “as”

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Metaphor Example: “It is East, and Juliet is the sun.” ~Romeo and Juliet My stepdad is such an evil ogre.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Hyperbole: A figure of speech involving great exaggeration.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Hyperbole Example: You’ll have so much fun your head will explode! I am so bored I could just die.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Alliteration: The repetition of consonant or vowel sounds at the beginning of words or within words

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Alliteration Example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. She sells seashells by the seashore.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Onomatopoeia: Use of a word or words whose sound imitates the sound of the thing spoken about.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Onomatopoeia Example: The door of the old mansion slowly creaked open. My cat meowed pathetically when I left for work this morning.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Personification: A figure of speech which gives human qualities to an object, animal, an idea or a place.

Key Vocabulary or Terminology: Personification Example: The enormous waves beckoned the surfers menacingly. My ringing cell phone danced across the table.

Teaching Sequence Have students highlight the literary terms used in each selection Discuss students’ responses as a class; discuss in length each term, how it is used and what it brings to the piece of literature Distribute literary terms worksheet and allow students ten minutes to complete independently; go over answers as a class

Comprehension Evaluation: Four-Square Activity: The teacher will be able to know if a student understands the terms by completion of the Vocabulary Four-Square. Students will pick two literary terms and, for each, complete the Four-Square using the term’s name, definition, sentence using it, and an accompanying picture.

Vocabulary Four-Square WORD DEFINITION PICTURE SENTENCE