Grade 7 · English Language Arts and Reading
Quarter 3 · Week 5 · TEKS
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This lesson helps Grade 7 students analyze how authors use figurative language, specifically metaphor and personification, to achieve specific purposes in texts. Students will also identify literary devices including subjective and objective points of view, and analyze how language choices contribute to mood, voice, and tone. The lesson aligns with TEKS standards and supports students in developing critical inquiry skills to understand and apply author's craft.
Students should understand basic literary terms such as simile, metaphor, and personification, and have experience reading and discussing grade-level texts. They should be familiar with the concept of point of view and mood in literature.
Figurative language uses words or expressions with meanings different from the literal interpretation to create vivid imagery or express ideas in imaginative ways. Two common types are metaphor and personification. A metaphor directly compares two unlike things by stating one is the other, helping readers understand a concept by linking it to something familiar. Personification gives human qualities to non-human things, making descriptions more relatable and vivid. Authors use these devices to deepen meaning, evoke emotions, or highlight themes.
A metaphor states that one thing is another to suggest a likeness or shared quality. For example, saying "Time is a thief" suggests time steals moments from our lives. This device helps readers see abstract ideas concretely and can create strong emotional effects. Authors use metaphors to emphasize particular ideas or feelings, making their message more memorable and impactful.
Personification attributes human traits, emotions, or actions to animals, objects, or ideas. For example, "The wind whispered through the trees" gives the wind the human action of whispering. This makes descriptions more engaging and helps readers connect emotionally with the text. Authors use personification to create mood, highlight themes, or add voice and tone to their writing.
Subjective point of view presents the narrator’s personal feelings, thoughts, or opinions, which can influence how events or characters are described. Objective point of view presents facts without personal bias or emotion. Recognizing these helps readers understand the author’s perspective and how it shapes the meaning and tone of the text.
Mood is the feeling or atmosphere a text creates for the reader, such as suspenseful, joyful, or gloomy. Voice is the author’s unique style or personality expressed through writing. Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject or audience, such as serious, sarcastic, or hopeful. Authors use language choices—including figurative language and point of view—to shape mood, voice, and tone, influencing how readers experience the text.
Read the sentence: "The classroom was a zoo." What type of figurative language is this, and what purpose does it serve?
This sentence uses a metaphor by directly comparing the classroom to a zoo. The author likely wants to show that the classroom was noisy or chaotic, helping the reader picture the scene vividly.
It is a metaphor that compares the classroom to a zoo to show it was noisy or wild.
In the phrase "The angry storm pounded on the windows," what figurative language is used and why?
This is personification because the storm is given the human quality of anger and the action of pounding. This helps create a mood of intensity and danger.
Personification is used to give the storm human qualities, making the scene feel intense and threatening.
Introduce the lesson by reading aloud a short poem or passage that uses metaphor and personification. Ask students to listen carefully and think about what images or feelings the author creates.
Listen attentively to the reading. Share initial thoughts or feelings about the imagery or mood created by the author’s words.
This activity draws students’ attention to figurative language and its effects, preparing them to analyze how these devices achieve specific purposes.
Provide students with short excerpts containing metaphors and personification. Guide them in identifying examples and discussing what each figurative device means and why the author might have used it.
Work individually or in pairs to find metaphors and personification in the texts. Discuss the possible purpose or effect of each example.
This phase helps students practice identifying figurative language and begin to interpret its purpose in context.
Define and explain metaphor and personification clearly. Discuss subjective and objective points of view and how language affects mood, voice, and tone. Use examples from the texts explored.
Take notes on definitions and examples. Ask questions to clarify understanding. Participate in discussion about how language shapes meaning and mood.
This phase solidifies understanding of key concepts and terminology, linking figurative language to author’s craft and purpose.
Have students write a short paragraph or poem using metaphor and personification to create a specific mood or tone. Encourage them to think about the purpose behind their language choices.
Compose original writing that includes at least one metaphor and one example of personification. Share writing with peers and explain the intended effect.
This phase allows students to apply their understanding creatively and purposefully, reinforcing how authors use figurative language to achieve specific purposes.
Ask students to read a new short passage and identify examples of metaphor, personification, and point of view. Then, have them explain how these elements contribute to the mood, voice, or tone of the passage.
Analyze the passage independently or in small groups. Write or discuss responses explaining the author’s use of figurative language and its effects.
This assessment phase checks students’ ability to identify and analyze figurative language and literary devices in new contexts, demonstrating mastery of the lesson objectives.
Work individually or in pairs to find metaphors and personification in the texts. Discuss the possible purpose or effect of each example.
What is a metaphor?
A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things by saying one is the other.
Identify the personification in: "The leaves danced in the wind."
The leaves are personified because they are described as dancing, a human action.
Explain the metaphor "Time is a thief."
It means time takes away moments from life like a thief steals things, showing the importance of valuing time.
How does subjective point of view influence tone?
It includes the narrator’s feelings and opinions, creating a personal or emotional tone.
How do metaphor and personification work together in a passage?
They create vivid images and emotions that build mood and support the author’s purpose.
Provide sentence frames to help students explain figurative language. Use graphic organizers to visually separate examples of metaphor and personification. Allow students to work in pairs to discuss and identify literary devices.
Use visuals and gestures to explain figurative language terms. Provide bilingual dictionaries or word banks with key vocabulary. Model sentence structures for describing author’s purpose and mood.
Challenge students to find multiple examples of figurative language in a longer text. Encourage students to compare how different authors use metaphor and personification. Have students write an analysis paragraph explaining how figurative language shapes tone and mood.
Encourage students to find examples of metaphor and personification in books or media at home and discuss with family how these devices affect the story or message.
In this lesson, students learned to identify and explain how authors use metaphor and personification to achieve specific purposes in texts. They also explored how literary devices like subjective and objective point of view influence meaning, and how language choices shape mood, voice, and tone. Through reading, discussion, and writing, students developed skills to analyze and apply author’s craft in their own work.
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