English Language Arts and Reading.6.9.D

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The student is expected to

describe how the author's use of figurative language such as metaphor and personification 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.
Authors purposely compare dissimilar objects through similes, metaphors, and other types of figurative language. Students should be able to explain how these comparisons are used to connect to a reader’s senses or prior experiences. For example, when an author uses a concrete metaphor to describe something abstract, the reader automatically associates the original concept with a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, or even a touch. Describing a concept by comparing it to something vivid or familiar creates instant pictures in the mind of readers and helps readers in their understanding of the text.
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
figurative language in which nonhuman things or abstractions are represented as having human qualities or abilities (e.g., “The parched sun crawled across the sand.”)

Research

Palmer, B. C., Shackelford, V. S., Miller, S. C., & Leclere, J. T. (2006). Bridging two worlds: reading comprehension, figurative language instruction, and the English-language learner. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(4), 258+. Retrieved from https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A156736307/PROF?u=tea&sid=PROF&xid=4ec470e1

Summary: Recognizing that figurative language is a challenge for EL students, the authors consider ways to transition students from modeled practice steps in interpreting figurative language when reading to self-assessed interpretations. Specific strategies and examples are provided, including discussing with students about the importance of figurative language and its contexts.