English Language Arts and Reading.5.10.D

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The student is expected to

describe how the author's use of imagery, literal and figurative language such as simile and metaphor, and sound devices achieves specific purposes;

author's purpose strand teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Author's purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.
Painting mental images through language, or imagery, is a common characteristic of good writing. Students are expected to recognize and communicate how authors purposely use action words or detailed descriptions of people, places, and things to paint vivid scenes in the mind of readers.
Authors purposely compare dissimilar objects through the use of similes, metaphors, and other types of figurative language. Students can recognize that these comparisons are effective because they connect to a reader’s senses and prior experiences. When an author uses a noun in a simile or a metaphor, the reader automatically associates the word with a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, or even a touch. In the simile the class was buzzing like a beehive, the noun beehive will likely evoke for the reader the sights and sounds of an active, noisy beehive. By using figurative language, the author creates instant pictures in the minds of readers. This mental picture helps the reader understand the passage or text.
the use of language to create mental images and sensory impressions Imagery can be used for emotional effect and to intensify the impact on the reader.
the use of words, phrases, and sentences in their real or actual sense
a subtle comparison in which the author describes two seemingly dissimilar things using words that are not meant to be taken literally (e.g., Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.) An extended metaphor carries the comparison through several lines, parts, or the whole text.
a figure of speech in which two things that are essentially different are likened to each other, usually using the words like or as (e.g., “O my love is like a red, red rose”)
Authors can make words more meaningful through the purposeful use of sound devices such as onomatopoeia, alliteration, or assonance. Students are expected to recognize that an author using sound devices may be trying to achieve a specific purpose, such as to convey meaning, establish a particular tone, or elicit an emotional response.

Research

1. Gorman, R., & Eastman, G.S. (2010). I see what you mean: Using visuals to teach metaphoric thinking in reading and writing. The English Journal, 100(1), 92-99.  Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20787700

Summary: This article provides instructional strategies that analyze images as a way to improve students' reading and writing skills.

2. Palmer, B.C., Shackel, V.S., Miller, S.C., & Leclere, J.T.  (2007), Bridging two worlds: Reading comprehension, figurative language instruction, and the English-language learner. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(4), 258–267. doi:10.1598/JAAL.50.4.2

Summary: English language learners (ELLs) may experience challenges while reading figurative language. The purpose of this article is to deconstruct how ELLs process figurative language and instructional strategies to support their learning.