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Teaching Writing with Computers

ENGLISH 570- Rhetoric and Composition

California State University Dominguez Hills

Bianca Cortes, November 2009


 

 

Preface:  As a high school English teacher I have been faced with the daunting task of teaching literary devices particularly metaphors to uninterested students.  While this aspect of literature and writing can be completely fascinating for teachers, some students will inevitably have a difficult time grasping this concept.  What can be more daunting than simply teaching metaphors may be finding the right resources that will enable teachers and students to have a much more valuable and enriching experience mastering this area of literature and writing.  As a part of the ENG 570 course I have spent almost an entire semester learning about the benefits and downfalls of teaching composition with the use of technology and computers.  One of the most important aspects that I have appreciated and valued the most is the idea that as teachers of English and Composition we should be able to rely and turn to one another for help, ideas, or support.  That is why I have compiled an annotated bibliography of lesson plans that deal with all aspects of teaching metaphors.  I hope that the following information can serve to help others that like me know the struggles and rewards of teaching.

 

  ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: Teaching Metaphor: Lesson Plans and Websites

 

 

"All about Figures of Speech / All about Metaphors." Leon's EFL Planet (English and other Foreign Language Website). Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://efl.htmlplanet.com/metaphors.htm>.

 

This website provides an extensive review of different figures of speech with particular emphasis on metaphor and metonymy. This lesson would work for students at the middle and high school level that need help reviewing and practicing metaphors. Some of the metaphors may be too advanced for younger students, and even some of the explanations may not help to clarify ambiguities, however if a teacher offers guidance through the lesson, students are sure to grasp all of the concepts being taught. The website begins with a brief explanation of different terms, followed by a table of contents and finally extensive discussion about metaphor and metonymy.

 

The website can serve as a review tool for teachers that want to see if students are able to recognize and identify various types of metaphors in writing. The website's content is primarily educational, but there are some non-educational related ads found embedded throughout the website. The site was originally created for ESL and EFL students that want to sharpen their skills; the section on metaphor provides lots of creative examples and practice for students.

 

 

 

Brooks, Susan, and Carrie Mabry. "A matter of identity: Writing an extended metaphor poem." LEARN NC. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/2893>.

 

This website provides a specific lesson plan for writing a poem using an extended metaphor. This lesson plan would work for students that are all ready familiar with metaphor and that perhaps need a review activity.  Students will create their own creative writing pieces using extended metaphors. Students will have an opportunity to read the poem “Identity” by Julio Noboa Polanco, which will then serve as an example when they set out to write their own poems.  The reading activity will allow students to think critically about the idea and theme of identity, the usage of metaphor will also help them understand the complexity of the poem.  Through the writing of their own poem, students will be able to reflect and express their own emotions about their own identities.

 

Students will have opportunities to analyze and collaborate in groups as well as participate in a formal assessment through the completion of their own poems. This lesson offers teachers step-by-step information including learning outcomes, pre activities and even a rubric. This particular website is an extension to the North Carolina University at Chapell Hill, School of Education. The lesson plan is clear and focused; it also provides all resources needed.

 

 

 

Carmichael, Sue. "Lesson Plan: Stairway to Heaven: Examining Metaphor in Popular Music." ReadWriteThink. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=975>.

 

This lesson plan can be found on the widely known website Read Write Think. Created by a teacher, it provides students with an opportunity to critically analyze metaphors using popular music. In this particular lesson students analyze the lyrics to "Stairway to Heaven".  The lesson would probably function best with high school students. It provides an outcome, instruction and activities, as well as all resources including handouts.   The lesson is highly engaging, as it not only looks at this particular song and its lyrics, but it also invites students to focus and think about other metaphors found in popular music. 

 

This lesson provides innovation and creativity by incorporating popular music to guide students into the mastery of all things metaphor. Many teachers will often incorporate their own favorite songs containing metaphors, thus making this lesson highly enjoyable for both students and teachers. The organization and brevity of this lesson plan just like all others in this website is clear, concise, and extremely informational.

 

 

 

Foley, Jennifer. "EDSITEment - Lesson Plan "Introducing Metaphors Through Poetry"" EDSITEment - The Best of the Humanities on the Web. 1 Dec. 2004. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=605>.

 

This lesson plan is designed to help students analyze and conceptualize metaphors at a deeper level.  . This activity relies heavily in poetry analysis, poems used include Langston Hughes “Dreams”, Margaret Atwood’s “You Begin”, and Naomi Shihab Nye’s “Blood”.  This lesson would be ideal for students that have had some experience reading and writing basic metaphors, middle or high school level.  The lesson plan is designed to help students read poetry that contains metaphors in an effort to think about author’s purpose and effect on readers.  The activities are organized in an easy to follow manner with an introduction, poetry analysis activity, and metaphor recognition activity and at last a brief writing piece in which students write their own metaphors.

 

 The lesson plan can be found in a reputable website that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, EDSITEment. The lesson plan provides everything that a teacher would need from a guiding question, to step-by-step activities, to additional resources.

 

 

 

Gardner, Tracy. "Lesson Plan: Writing about Writing: An Extended Metaphor Assignment." ReadWriteThink. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=905>.

 

This lesson plan can be found on the Read Write Think website, and is a bit more complex in that it involves a lot of reflective writing. The focus of the lesson is for students to analyze their own experiences as writers using the concept of extended metaphors. The lesson would probably be ideal for students at a higher-grade level that have had extensive experience reading, writing and analyzing figurative language, including metaphor. Students are invited to write and share their own struggles, positive experiences, and enjoyable moments as writers.  The usage of an extended metaphor helps students to write more creatively and personally. 

 

 

The lesson would serve as a comprehensive writing projects because it requires reading, reflective writing, as well as work in peer groups and the production of a final piece. The lesson plan is organized in a clear manner, providing everything from objectives, to an extension, web resources and all handouts needed.

 

 

 

Gee, Steven. "Image as Metaphor (Education at the Getty)." The Getty. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.getty.edu/education/for_teachers/curricula/dorothea_lange/lange_lesson10.html>.

 

This lesson plan can be found at the website for the Getty Museum, it is an immersion activity in which the students view an image and work to write and define metaphor. The first activity asks students to look at a famous photograph by Dorothea Lange, and then to write about thoughts, feelings, and emotions that this image evokes. The students will then work collaboratively as well as independently to focus on an object they select that will serve as their own personal metaphor. The lesson is brief but provides objectives, activities and extension assignments.

 

This lesson plan can be found at the museum's section for education. It uses one of the actual photographs from the collection in order for students to engage in peer discussion and develop their own writing. The focus of metaphor becomes more vivid and tangible with the usage of visuals. Students will be able to relate the concept of metaphor to their own objects, or personal metaphors.

 

 

 

Jowers, Janice. "Beacon Lesson Plan Library-Mighty Metaphors." Beacon Learning Center. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/Lessons/1927.htm>.

 

This lesson plan can be found on the website for the Beacon Press Library, it is ideal for students of a younger age or perhaps students that are learning English. This lesson would serve as an introduction to metaphors for students that are not at all familiar with the term, since it provides basic explanations and examples. Some of the activities include lots of visuals that will definitely help out those students not familiar with the concept of figurative language. The lesson plan begins with a brief discussion, explanation of materials needed and procedures.  Students will also have ample opportunities to create and write their own metaphors. The lesson is brief but provides everything that a teacher that is introducing metaphors to a class would need. Students will have an opportunity to create and share their own metaphors with their peers. Handouts and links are also provided with this lesson.

 

 

 

"Onestopenglish | Vocabulary: explaining the metaphor: lesson plans." Onestopenglish | Resources for teaching English. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=59608&docid=144978>.

 

This website will be greatly beneficial for those teachers wanting to review and practice metaphors with their students. This page offers over ten lesson plans all of which include their own worksheets and teacher's notes. Every lesson plan found on this website includes guided instructions, activities, and practice handouts.  The metaphors in these lesson plans range from topics such as time is money, to life is a journey. Teachers can choose which lesson plans would help their students best. Overall the lesson plans would seem ideal for middle and high school students.

 

The website in which this page can be found is one that provides similar resources to English teachers, Onestopenglish.  What is great about the website is that every area of focus provides teachers with a wide variety of resources, handouts and even other online resources. Whether a teacher wishes to refresh or review metaphors, this page will provide many possibilities.

 

 

"Teachable Moment -Metaphors for Expressing Feelings." Teachable Moment - free lesson plans and topical activities for k - 12. Web. 29 Nov. 2009. <http://www.teachablemoment.org/middle/metaphors.html>.

 

This lesson plan uses metaphors in an effort for students to write reflectively about their own personal feelings. This activity would work well with both middle and high school students; it uses the poem "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The lesson plan involves analysis of this particular poem in an effort to provide students with an avenue of exploration of their own feelings and emotions.  What works well with this lesson plan is that students are not restricted to write about a particular emotion, they can select the one that they feel most strongly about or the one that they would like to explore.

 

The lesson plan can be found on the website for Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, and is clearly designed to have students thinking critically about their own feelings and emotions through the use of metaphor. The lesson plan includes objectives, activities, and other follow up activities.