Finding Figurative Language in The Phantom Tollbooth

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

To understand a text, students need to know how to decode words and make inferences. Students in grades 6-8 are usually adept at decoding words, but many still have difficulty using context clues and making inferences to comprehend meaning. Figurative language is often difficult for this age group because many still grasp only the literal meanings of words. This lesson provides hands-on differentiated instruction by guiding students to search for the literal definitions of figurative language using the Internet. It also guides students in understanding figurative meanings through the use of context clues and making inferences.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

Figurative Language Chart: This handout will guide your students as they learn the differences between literal and figurative language.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Leu, D.J., Jr. (2000). Our children's future: Changing the focus of literacy and literacy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 53(5), 424–430.

• The Internet provides access to a large amount of information that students can use to complete activities and assignments, and therefore, communicate to an intended audience more effectively and clearly.
  
  
• Students "need to be prepared for much more than book literacies."
  
  
• Using technology prepares students for the future in a global economy. Students gain a basic understanding of how the Internet provides valuable information, not just for this lesson but also for future lessons in school and in life in general.

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