Any suggestions on how to teach the difference between these two topics (Figurative Language vs. Literal Language)? I am started my poetry unit and really wanted to explain this to my 8 year olds. THANK YOU!!
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=254 http://42explore.com/figlang.htm http://www.ccs.k12.in.us/Creekside/Teams/Teachers/BLoy/Figurative_Language_PP.ppt
With 5th graders, I used the example of the poem, Fog, by Carl Sandburg. It starts out, "The fog comes on little cat feet." That is a great line to discuss because kids know how cats walk, and they know what fog is like. Any simple similes can be used, too. Similes are fun to illustrate. Have the kids make little booklets with similes and their pictures - as easy as pie, slow as molasses, quick as a bunny, etc.