Literary devices

[My4arrows]

I'm wanting to teach my upper elementary children more about literary devices. Any resource suggestions?

Edited April 27, 2016 by Clmegancm

[Lori D.]

I always add the caveat of caution about literary analysis in the elementary grades, as sometimes for some students the black-and-white/fact-based thinking of younger ages runs the risk of turning reading Literature into a sort of checklist mentality and students stop there -- permanently: "Found the setting, plot elements, symbolism, and a simile, check, check, check, check! My work here is done!" -- instead of being able to continue to mature and go deeper in the reading and understanding of a work in the high school and adult years, and ultimately finding personal meaning and application, and being able to engage in "The Great Conversation" of the classics that authors and readers have engaged in for centuries.

 

Andrew Kern's free audio download of "Teaching Literature Without Killing It" might be helpful… (scroll down the list about 3/4 of the way; it is the first title in the section "free selections from 2012 conference"). Susan Wise Bauer also has some great insights on this topic: "What is Literary Analysis (and When to Teach It)" -- brief article overview, and, downloadable audio lecture.

 

​That said, YMMV, and you know you children best, and if ready to start gently with some literary devices, below are some resource ideas. Enjoy your Literature journeys! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

- Using Picture Story Books to Teach Literary Devices (Hall)

- Figuratively Speaking: Using Classic Literature to Teach 40 Literary Terms

- Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus (Bagley) -- series by grade level
- Story Elements series (by grade level, gr. 1-8)
- Teaching Story Elements with Favorite Books (Ellen Tarlow)
- Teaching Literary Elements with Short Stories (Ellen Tarlow)

 

 

Past threads on literary analysis for elementary students:

Figures of speech -- when to introduce these?

DD (10yo) wants to do literary analysis

Books to teach ME about literary analysis

Is it absolutely necessary to teach literary analysis?

 

 

Picture Books/Children's Books to focus on specific literary devices:

 

Setting
- Where the Wild Things Are (Sendak)
- The Polar Express (Van Allsburg)
- Uptown (Collier)
- So Far From the Sea (Bunting)

Figurative Language
- Owl Moon (Yolen)
- Switch on the Night (Bradbury)
- Quick as a Cricket (Wood)

Characterization
- The Story of Ferdinand (Lead)
- Horton Hatches the Egg (Seuss)
- The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (Trivizas)

Theme
- The Giving Tree (Silverstein)
- Frederick (Lionni)
- Harold and the Purple Crayon (Johnson)

Flashback
- Alexander; Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday (Viorst)
- One Small Blue Bead (Baylor)
- Wreck of the Zephyr (Van Allsburg)

Foreshadowing
- Jumanji (Van Allsburg)
- Short Cut (Macauley)
- The Mitten (Brett)

Plot
- Ferdinand the Bull (Leaf)
- The Snowman (Briggs)
- The Frog Prince Continued (Johnson/Scieszka)

Point of View
- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Scieszka/Smith)
- Two Bad Ants (Van Allsburg)
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day (Viorst)

Edited April 28, 2016 by Lori D.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Literary Elements mini bulletin board set:

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Teaching-Press-Literary-Elements/dp/B007DYTW50/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461797946&sr=8-1&keywords=literary+elements+bulletin+board

 

Literary Terms Poster Set:

http://www.prufrock.com/Literary-Terms-Poster-Set-P811.aspx

 

Figuratively Speaking Poster Set:

http://www.prufrock.com/Figuratively-Speaking-Poster-Set-P792.aspx

 

Figurative Language Mini Bulletin Board Set:

http://www.amazon.com/Dellosa-Figurative-Language-Bulletin-410057/dp/1580375626/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1461798115&sr=8-3&keywords=figurative+language+bulletin+board

[SilverMoon]

You might try reading Deconstructing Penguins yourself and just work bits and pieces into your literature discussions. :001_smile: It's a light, fun read.

[TriciaT]

Brave Writer Arrow or Boomerang also does a great job pointing out literary devices in each copy work passage. You could also have a look around the website or blog and read anything on "big juicy conversations". I think she recommends discussing plot, setting, foreshadowing, etc. through discussing movies as well.

I also second Deconstructing Penguins. It is a great read and really gives a feel for what is like having deeper discussions about books with kids.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited April 28, 2016 by TriciaT

[My4arrows]

Thank you for all these suggestions. I will be looking into each of them. I'm especially interested in the deconstructing penguins. We are actually using FIAR for my k DS next year and they point out the uses of different literary devices/figurative language used in the books which originally gave me the idea of pulling those out for my older children since we didn't cover them when we went through FIAR with them. Also I've never considered brace writer before. I may need to look into that although I think I'm pretty much decided on iew (for both my comfort and for my DS who hates writing!). I'm grateful for all the choices of good curriculum, although it does make it difficult at times to choose which to use!

[My4arrows]

I always add the caveat of caution about literary analysis in the elementary grades, as sometimes for some students the black-and-white/fact-based thinking of younger ages runs the risk of turning reading Literature into a sort of checklist mentality and students stop there -- permanently: "Found the setting, plot elements, symbolism, and a simile, check, check, check, check! My work here is done!" -- instead of being able to continue to mature and go deeper in the reading and understanding of a work in the high school and adult years, and ultimately finding personal meaning and application, and being able to engage in "The Great Conversation" of the classics that authors and readers have engaged in for centuries.

 

Andrew Kern's free audio download of "Teaching Literature Without Killing It" might be helpful… (scroll down the list about 3/4 of the way; it is the first title in the section "free selections from 2012 conference"). Susan Wise Bauer also has some great insights on this topic: "What is Literary Analysis (and When to Teach It)" -- brief article overview, and, downloadable audio lecture.

 

​That said, YMMV, and you know you children best, and if ready to start gently with some literary devices, below are some resource ideas. Enjoy your Literature journeys! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

- Using Picture Story Books to Teach Literary Devices (Hall)

- Figuratively Speaking: Using Classic Literature to Teach 40 Literary Terms

- Suppose the Wolf Were an Octopus (Bagley) -- series by grade level

- Story Elements series (by grade level, gr. 1-8)

- Teaching Story Elements with Favorite Books (Ellen Tarlow)

- Teaching Literary Elements with Short Stories (Ellen Tarlow)

 

 

Past threads on literary analysis for elementary students:

Figures of speech -- when to introduce these?

DD (10yo) wants to do literary analysis

Books to teach ME about literary analysis

Is is absolutely necessary to teach literary analysis?

 

 

Picture Books/Children's Books to focus on specific literary devices:

 

Setting

- Where the Wild Things Are (Sendak)

- The Polar Express (Van Allsburg)

- Uptown (Collier)

- So Far From the Sea (Bunting)

 

Figurative Language

- Owl Moon (Yolen)

- Switch on the Night (Bradbury)

- Quick as a Cricket (Wood)

 

Characterization

- The Story of Ferdinand (Lead)

- Horton Hatches the Egg (Seuss)

- The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (Trivizas)

 

Theme

- The Giving Tree (Silverstein)

- Frederick (Lionni)

- Harold and the Purple Crayon (Johnson)

 

Flashback

- Alexander; Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday (Viorst)

- One Small Blue Bead (Baylor)

- Wreck of the Zephyr (Van Allsburg)

 

Foreshadowing

- Jumanji (Van Allsburg)

- Short Cut (Macauley)

- The Mitten (Brett)

 

Plot

- Ferdinand the Bull (Leaf)

- The Snowman (Briggs)

- The Frog Prince Continued (Johnson/Scieszka)

 

Point of View

- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (Scieszka/Smith)

- Two Bad Ants (Van Allsburg)

- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day (Viorst)

Thank you for this extensive list! I agree in not wanting to take the appeal away from reading at all. Thankfully my kids are all avid readers who absolutely love reading for fun and are reading well above grade level. Definitely something to think about though. I know part of me is pulling this in because English beyond just reading books for fun was not my strength. I think I want to do a gentle introduction for them as we are reading the FIAR books.

[Lori D.]

Thank you for this extensive list! I agree in not wanting to take the appeal away from reading at all. Thankfully my kids are all avid readers who absolutely love reading for fun and are reading well above grade level. Definitely something to think about though. I know part of me is pulling this in because English beyond just reading books for fun was not my strength. I think I want to do a gentle introduction for them as we are reading the FIAR books.

 

That's a big help, having avid readers! :) That makes slipping in a few works here and there to start some lit. study easy. As you get further into more formal lit. studies in a few years, I do like what SWB says about NOT doing literary analysis with a student's beloved book -- you don't want to kill joy/enjoyment with "school". ;)

 

Sounds like you're good to go -- you're all going to have a great time digging deeper into your Lit.! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Ruthie in MS]

Thank you for bringing this up. I've been thinking that this sort of instruction is best saved until middle school but we have gently introduced literary elements through FIAR. Some of the resources named are some I have heard of before, but some are new to me. I will definitely be checking out Deconstructing Penguins and Reading Strands.

 

 

Past threads on literary analysis for elementary students:
Figures of speech -- when to introduce these?
DD (10yo) wants to do literary analysis
Books to teach ME about literary analysis
Is is absolutely necessary to teach literary analysis?

 

 By the way, All of the links above say that the page can not be found. :confused1:

[Lori D.]

...By the way, All of the links above say that the page can not be found. :confused1:

 

Fixed. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

 

 

And, totally unrelated to you Ruthie in MS ;) … May I just say once again how much a DESPISE the search function on this board and how frequently one has to restore links!?!!  :cursing:

[craftyerin]

We had used FIAR for PK and K and I lived the literary elements and really missed them in 1st when we went straight Charlotte Mason with AO. This year we've been more free form in our CM approach and have used a lot of Brave Writer, and the literary devices are back! I definitely recommend BW's The Arrow when your kiddo is old enough.

[cintinative]

For elementary we enjoyed It Figures! Fun Figures of Speech. Someone on here recommended it I think. It's a nice short book.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OQUPLQ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

 

Edited May 1, 2016 by cintinative