ChalkHour

Year 6 English: Figurative language lesson pack

A complete, ready-to-teach KS2 lesson on figurative language. Below is a real sample of what ChalkHour makes: the full pack adds three levels of worksheet, model answers, a teaching explainer and print-ready PDF and Word files.

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Real sample

Mastering Figurative Language

This lesson introduces Year 6 students to the 'writer's toolkit' of figurative language. Students will learn to distinguish between literal and figurative meanings, identify specific techniques in context, and apply these techniques to their own creative writing to improve imagery and impact.

Learning objectives

  • Identify and define common figurative language techniques (simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole).
  • Explain the effect of figurative language on the reader's imagination and the mood of a text.
  • Compose original sentences using specific figurative techniques to enhance descriptive writing.

Lesson plan (60 minutes)

  1. Introduction · 10 min

    Hook: Listen to a short poem or song lyric and identify 'weird' descriptions that aren't literally true.

  2. Direct Instruction · 15 min

    Teacher-led instruction: Explaining the different types of figurative language using the 'Explainer Script'.

  3. Guided Practice · 10 min

    Guided Practice: Identifying techniques in a short shared text as a class.

  4. Independent Work · 15 min

    Independent Practice: Students complete differentiated worksheets (Support/Core/Stretch).

  5. Plenary/Review · 10 min

    Check for Understanding: 8-question multiple choice quiz.

Key vocabulary

Simile
Comparing two things using 'like' or 'as'.
Metaphor
Comparing two things by saying one IS the other.
Personification
Giving human characteristics to an object or animal.
Onomatopoeia
A word that imitates the sound it represents.
Alliteration
Repetition of the same starting letter sound in a group of words.

Core worksheet (first questions)

  1. 1. Identify the technique: 'The stars were diamonds in the midnight sky.'
  2. 2. Identify the technique: 'The wind whistled through the keyhole.'
  3. 3. Identify the technique: 'The fire crackled and popped in the grate.'
  4. 4. Identify the technique: 'Sing a song of sixpence.'

Quiz (sample)

  1. 1. What is the definition of a simile?

    • A. A comparison using 'like' or 'as'
    • B. Giving human traits to objects
    • C. Describing a sound as a word
    • D. Saying one thing is another thing

  2. 2. 'The moon was a ghostly silver coin' is an example of...

    • A. Simile
    • B. Metaphor
    • C. Alliteration
    • D. Onomatopoeia

  3. 3. Which of these is an example of personification?

    • A. The sun was hot.
    • B. The sun was like a fire.
    • C. The sun smiled down at us.
    • D. The sun shone brightly.

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Support and Stretch worksheets, every answer and model answer, the teaching explainer and common misconceptions, editable and ready to print as PDF or Word.

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