Metaphors

in Hamlet
Grade 12 Dual Enrollment
Lesson Components
What teacher and student behaviors are planned and expected

Comments/Notes/
in Retrospect
Reflections

Context: Course name; grade level; length of lesson; description of setting,

students, and curriculum and any other important contextual characteristics

This lesson will be taught to a 12th grade Dual Enrollment English class at Albemarle
High School in the middle of the second semester. Throughout the year, students
have read multiple types of poetry and studied texts with extended metaphors, so
they are very familiar with the topic. This will be a hands-on activity to get them
more creative and to understand the importance and power of words.

This lesson will be at the beginning of class right before a discussion of Hamlet.

Dual Enrollment is an
English course at
Albemarle High School
that is connected to
Piedmont Virginia
Community College. If
students pass the class,
they receive college credit
through PVCC. This is
different from the movie
class. It is a basic English
class, but the course
resembles a college
classroom. There are a lot
of papers; the students are
constantly working on an
essay of some sort.
Additionally, they are
expected to have
completed a large chunk of
reading in preparation for
the class. Finally, up until
recently, I used to think
that this was the most
advanced track of English
in grade 12, but at AHS,
students who are on the
standard track take Dual
Enrollment English.
Learning this made so
much sense to me.

Virginia SOL(s):
12.5 The student will read and critique a variety of poetry.
c) Explain how imagery and figures of speech (personification, simile, metaphor)
appeal to the readers senses and experiences.
Common Core State Standard(s):
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.11-12.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Objectives (KUD format):
The students will understand that metaphors can be created from random objects.
The students will know:
1. The definition of a metaphor both the basic definition and the more
detailed one.
2. Metaphors contain one abstract and one concrete item.
3. Studying the five senses of a certain item can help in the creation of
metaphors.
4. How to create their own metaphors.
The students will be able to:
5. Define metaphor, using both a basic and more complex definition.
6. Identify the concrete and abstract items in every metaphor.

7. Brainstorm ideas about concrete items in relation to the five senses.

8. Create new metaphors using a specific concrete item handed to them.
Assessments: Methods for evaluating each of the specific objectives listed above.
.
Diagnostic: Students will demonstrate what they already know by
Answering the question, What is a metaphor? through Poll Everywhere.
Formative: Students will show their progress toward today's objectives by
Creating their own metaphors based on the concrete objects I give them.
Sharing their metaphors with the class.
Summative: Students will ultimately be assessed (today or in a future lesson) on
these standards by
Revising their definition of metaphor or sharing something new they
learned/realized about metaphors in a second Poll Everywhere forum.
Procedures: Detail student and teacher behavior. Identify possible student

misconceptions. Include:
I. Welcome/greeting/announcements (2 minutes)
As students enter the classroom, the projector will have Poll Everywhere set
up with the question, What is a metaphor?
Hello everyone! It is so nice to see you all again. My name is Ms. Reaves, and today
we are going to do a quick activity about metaphors. This lesson will involve a few
things we havent done in class before; I hope you will enjoy this. We are going to use
them to talk about metaphors.

II. Hook/ bridge/ opening to lesson (5-7 minutes)
We are going do a little assessment to see what you all generally think of when the
word metaphor comes to mind. I have a cool website set up on the projector called
Poll Everywhere. In a minute I am going to have you text your definition of what a
metaphor is and they will all show up here on the board. Do not pull out your phone
yet. If you dont have a cell phone, you can go to the Poll Everywhere website and
type your answer in there. I will give you the number to text and the code to include
with your answer. You will have about 2 minutes to do this and review what other
answers are submitted. What questions do you have about this?
Students ask any questions that they have.
I will answer.
I want to remind you to keep these responses school appropriate, and I trust that you
will. You will need the code to add after your answer. Text the number 137356. In
the answer, then add the code 22333. You may now pull out your cell phones.
All right. You can go ahead and submit your answers now, and they should pop up on
the screen. You have about 2 minutes.
Students will submit their answers on Poll Everywhere for about five minutes
or however long it takes for each student to submit a response. After five
minutes:
Please put your phones and computers away.
Students place phones and computers back into their bags.
Okay lets take a look at all of the submissions we got on our poll! It seems like we
got a lot of similar answers. What do you all notice about your answers?
Students will raise their hands and comment on patterns and similarities that
they see in the answers.

Does it seem like we all have a similar idea of what a metaphor is? I will comment on
some of the posts and the similarities between them. I will also point out different
posts that stand out from the others. I generally expect to see a lot of a metaphor is

a comparison of two things without using the words like or as.

Generally people use the definition that a metaphor is a comparison of two things
without using the words like or as. And that is an okay, though basic, definition of
this type of figurative language, but it is only the first level of Blooms taxonomy.
Today we are going to dig a little deeper and understand metaphors on a higher
level.

III. Instructional steps (about 30 minutes)
1. Metaphor Discussion and Clarification (2 minutes)
What are some common metaphors that people use? Or what are your favorite
metaphors?
Students will call out different, clichd metaphors.
If we need more responses, I will add:
I hear a lot of clichs, which start to lose their meanings the more people use them.
Some of my favorites are the light of my life and rollercoaster of emotions. And I
hope everyone knows My love is a red, red rose from the poem A Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns. Lets use this one as an example. What are the two things being
compared in this metaphor?
Students will raise hands and identify the two compared items, love and
rose.

Moving into PATT and Identifying Concretes and Abstracts (5-10 minutes)
Yes, so our two items that are being compared are the love and the rose. Taking a
step back to think of PATT (purpose, audience, theme, and topic), which we use when
we study essays, lets look at this metaphor from a concrete/abstract point of view.
What is the concrete thing in the metaphor? You can shout this out.
Students will raise hands and identify that the rose is the concrete item.

So if the rose is concrete, what does that make Burnss love? Please raise your hands.
Students will identify that Burnss love is the abstract item.

After looking at this a little more in depth, we are able to refine our definition of a
metaphor. Does anyone have an idea of how to do this using the concrete and
abstract?
Students will try to rephrase and redefine metaphor and incorporate the
concrete and abstract information.
I imagine some answers will be similar to a metaphor compares an abstract
thing to a more concrete item.

If students say this, I will challenge them and ask, What is the point of using one
abstract idea and a concrete item? What does posing them against each other do for
the reader or listener? I will aim to get an answer along the lines of,
A concrete item or image is used to develop common ground and better
share an understanding of the more abstract element.
Students will raise hands and try to clarify metaphor even more.
We have arrived at the point that metaphors use a concrete image to develop
common ground and share an understanding of the more abstract element. Is this
difficult to understand? What questions do you have about this?
Students will pose questions they have about the definition.
I will answer questions and clarify if necessary.


2. Moving into Groups and Activity Overview (5 minutes)
With this we are ready to move on to the next step in our activity. I want you all to
quickly and quietly move into your groups that Mrs. Pavlo has assigned you. It is best
if you all turn your desks in to face one another, like a makeshift table. You have two
minutes to do so. When you are finished look up at me.
Students will move desks and form clusters.

Before we start the activity, I want to give you a quick overview. You will first study
and take notes on a concrete item that I give you. After taking notes, you will create
metaphors using the notes that youve taken. Finally, youll share your metaphor
creations with the group, then with the class. What questions do you have about
this?
Students will ask any questions they have about the activity overview.
I will answer questions and clarify if necessary.

3. Item Inventory Sheet and Explanation (5 minutes)
I am now going to pass out the Item Inventory Sheet. Take a moment and look over
them and get familiar with them. You will see that there are five columns, one for
each of the senses. These will act as an aid when you move on to creating
metaphors.
I will pass out the Item Inventory Sheets.

When filling this out, I want you to write as much as you can about your item in
relation to each of the five senses. Bring in things from your memories. For example,
if I had a pack of Gushers, I write down that the sight of them reminds me of packing
up to head for the beach on vacation in elementary school. If I had a piece of Double
Bubble, I would write down under touch (maybe even taste) how my jaw would start
hurting after chewing it for so long. It does not have to be long phrases, but you need
to write enough so that you can remember what you meant to say.

4. Picking Items and Beginning Exploration Independently (5 minutes)
Now I need the leader of each group (Mrs. Payne assigned these at the beginning of
the semester) to come up and pick a piece of paper out of this bag I have. On each
piece, one of four items is written on it. These will determine what items your group
studies in this activity. Once your group member comes back with your item, you may
begin filling out your sheets on your own. You will have about five minutes to work
on this part by yourself. What questions do you have?
Students will ask questions.
I will answer and clarify.

So the four of you, come on up.
Group leaders will come up and pick a piece of paper.
I will hand them their item to study.
Students will return to their seats.
Students will work on their Inventory Sheets individual for five minutes.
I will walk around the room and work as a sounding board for ideas.

5. Sharing Exploration with Group Members (5 minutes)
After five minutes: Finish up the thought you are on, and move toward sharing your
ideas and brainstorming in your groups. When talking with groups, move past

senses. Think about the morphemes used in words to think about these items. You
have five more minutes to discuss this within your groups.
Students move to talking about their items within the group.
I will walk around to work as a sounding board for ideas and make sure
conversations are on topic and appropriate.

6. Creating Metaphors Independently (5 minutes)
After five more minutes: Finish up your conversations, and move toward creating
your own metaphors. Jot down your ideas on the back of this worksheet. The item
you have studied will be your concrete, and you will need to discover your own
abstracts. You may need to add a clarifying phrase after your metaphor to explain
what you meant. For example, if I had Double Bubble as my concrete, I could say,
My love for you is chewing on a piece of Double Bubble, long and painful. Thats
just one example. What questions do you have about this?
Students will ask questions.
I will answer and clarify anything that is relevant.

I want you all to try to create metaphors on your own; do not talking among your
groups. There is time for that afterwards. You have about five minutes for this.

7. Sharing Metaphors within Groups (5 minutes)
After five minutes: Please finish up your metaphors you are working on now and
start sharing your different metaphors with your group. You have five minutes to
share. After you share, choose your top two or three metaphors you group liked the
best so that we can all share them as a class. You have five minutes.
Students share metaphors within their groups for five minutes.
I walk around to make sure conversations are on topic and to make sure
each group has at least two metaphors to share.

8. Sharing Metaphors as a Class (5 minutes)
After five minutes: I have walked around to make sure that every group has a couple
of metaphors to share with the class. I would like someone from the group to be the
spokesperson and read your metaphor and identify the concrete image and abstract
idea in each. Is there a certain group that wants to go first?
Students will raise their hands to volunteer sharing. If not, I will call on a
certain group to begin.
Students will share their favorite metaphors with the rest of the class.
Students will identify the concrete and abstract ideas in each metaphor.
I will facilitate the discussion, calling on the groups after the first group
volunteers. I will also make sure they identify the concrete item and abstract
idea in each metaphor.

8. Poll Everywhere Question #2
As our final step, we are going to do another Poll Everywhere, so please get out your
phones or computers once again. The question for this Poll is what did you learn
about metaphors today? You can redefine it or just add a comment about what
exploring different items meant to you in terms of creating metaphors. I created a
different one, so there is a different number to text and a separate code to add. As
soon as you finish with your phone or computer, please put them in your bag.
I will post the Poll Everywhere screen on the projector.
I will give students the number to text and the code to add to their

comments.
Students will text or type in their responses.
I will comment on the responses that are submitted, noticing if there are any
big changes from what students had submitted at the beginning of the
lesson. I will also point out any trends among the responses.
Students will put phones away once they are finished.

IV. Closing (2 minutes)
These were some wonderful and unique metaphors you came up with. I am not quite
sure what piece of writing you all are working on in class right now, but I really
encourage you to find a place to insert these metaphors in your writing. They would
definitely add your voice and spice it up! I want to thank you for cooperating with
me today. If you want to keep your item, you may. Otherwise, please throw away
your trash or hand your item back to me. Now Mrs. Pavlo is going to take it from
here.
Materials:
Projector
Computer for teacher to set up Poll Everywhere
Computer or cell phones for students
Item Inventory Sheet for each student
1 shovel and pail
Pennies
Crown/tiara
Goblet

Differentiation: Detail specific actions/materials you will use to differentiate
instruction in this lesson for at least one of your three case study students.

This is an activity that all of my case study students will be able to participate in.
Phyllis may have the hardest time because she may not know what some of the
items are, or she may not have as many memories with them. I believe that she can
relate to most of them, however. If necessary I can give Phyllis the carnation
because there are flowers everywhere. And if she needs to write in Mandarin, that is
okay. She will just have to create a handful of metaphors that are in English and be
able to share in English.
Technology Use: Detail specific technology being used in the lesson with
explanation for why it is being used.

I use technology more in this lesson than I typically do. I think that Poll Everywhere
is a great website that is quick and can easily show all of the students thoughts. The
texts they send will be anonymous, so they dont have to worry too much about
being perfect in their answers. Also I think this is a great way to show them how
phones can be used responsible in the classroom.

If this technology is not available, however, I will have the students come up and
write their answers on the board. It may be a little chaotic, but we will be able to see
their answers in a similar way.
Appendices
Item Inventory Sheet