- English Language Arts and Reading
- Grade 3
- Author's purpose and craft
identify and explain the use of hyperbole.
Working in small groups, provide students with several hyperboles to decipher (e.g., her smile was a mile wide, dinner was dry as a desert). Task students with creating two illustrations: one illustration depicting the exaggerated meaning of the hyperbole and a second illustration depicting the intended meaning of each hyperbole. Have groups share their illustrations along with the explanation for each.
This assessment example requires that students understand what a hyperbole is and can explain how it is used in text to make a statement. Students should use the illustrations to recognize how mistaking a hyperbole for a literal statement would significantly alter the meaning of the author or speaker’s intended message.