Students' evaluation of the potency of figurative language is furthered in this lesson. At the end of the lesson, students are going to:
- Determine the meaning and impact of figurative language and examine its application.
- Determine the imagery in poetry and assess the function and impact of its application.

- How do students expand and improve their vocabulary? 
- How can readers decide which information from what they hear, read, and see to believe? 
- How do literary and informational texts become meaningful to strategic readers? 
- How does interaction with text elicit thought and response? 
- What is the true purpose of this text? 
- What methods and tools do I employ to decipher unfamiliar vocabulary? 
- What methods and tools does the student employ to decipher unfamiliar vocabulary? 
- Why pick up new vocabulary?

- Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words. 
- Hyperbole: An exaggeration or overstatement. 
- Imagery: A word or group of words in a literary work that appeals to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. 
- Figurative Language: Language that cannot be taken literally because it was written to create a special effect or feeling. 
- Metaphor: A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object. 
- Onomatopoeia: The use of a word to suggest or mimic specific sounds. 
- Personification: An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form. 
- Simile: A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used. 
- Mood: The prevailing emotions of a work or the author in his or her creation of the work.

- Francis, Robert. “The Base Stealer” http://www.poemsbypost.com/?p=945 “How to Eat a Poem” by Eve Merriam, “Dreams” by Langston Hughes, and “Oh Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman would all be easy to understand and demonstrate a variety of techniques.
- Teachers may substitute other poems to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity.
- student copies of the Figurative Language Review worksheet (L-8-2-2_ Figurative Language Review) and a computer projection

- Identify figurative language (simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole) and imagery in the poem as the main points of emphasis during the lesson.
- Utilize quick-feedback strategies to get each student to provide an example of figurative language or imagery, such as a round-robin quiz at the start or end of class.
- Find out if the students can explain the intent and efficacy of the use of figurative language by having them analyze "The Base Stealer."
- Assess students' ability to recognize instances of figurative language using the Figurative Language Review. When necessary, give practice opportunities that are more.

Explicit instruction, modeling, and active engagement 
W: Assist students in recognizing and assessing how figurative language affects a text's meaning. 
H: Provide students with the chance to examine the implications of figurative language. 
E: Give students the chance to investigate figurative language and imagery in poetry. 
R: Use examples from "The Base Stealer" to assist students in expanding their understanding of figurative language. 
E: Ask students to compare their work to the group consensus during class discussions to assess their comprehension of the use of figurative language. 
T: Assign learning activities according to the instructional reading levels of your students, and include extension activities for every level by offering resources for additional practice and more challenging materials to push your students' thinking to high levels. 
O: This lesson's learning exercises include large-group instruction and discussion, small-group inquiry, partner work, and individual application of the material. 

Focus Question: What meaning do writers convey in poetry by using imagery and figurative language?

Get volunteers to define "stealing a base" in baseball. (If no one steps forward, explain that while the pitcher is pitching to the batter at home plate, a runner on a base looks for a chance to advance to, or "steal," the next base.)

Say, "We'll read a poem that describes this incident."

Read aloud Robert Francis' poem "The Base Stealer." Pose the following queries to the students:

"Where does the poem take place?" (The title implies that it is a baseball game, even though the location is not explained in detail.)
"What does the poem depict?" (The poet describes the sequence of events in which a baseball runner thinks about stealing a base and then actually does it.)
"In what ways does the poet aid in your comprehension of the situation?" (The poet uses metaphorical language and vivid imagery to describe the incident.)                      
Suggest: "You have studied various forms of metaphorical language in the past. Let's go over the various figurative language and imagery employed in the poem." Distribute copies of the Figurative Language Review (L-8-2-2 Figurative Language Review) to every pupil. Give students time to ask questions if needed after reading aloud the definitions of the various figurative language types. Throughout the poem, instruct students to locate as many instances of each kind of figurative language as they can. Inform them that although this poem might not have an example of each, the review will help them when they study other poems.

Take one or more of the subsequent actions:

Find examples of figurative language in pairs, then compile them into a class example to project onto an interactive whiteboard or computer screen.
Give each student a particular category of figurative language to look for. Before they check their answers with you, have the students meet with their partners.
Look for instances of figurative language as a class. Following a discussion, record the approved responses on the interactive whiteboard or board.
See the Figurative Language Review in the Resources folder for examples of acceptable responses. You could elucidate further with additional examples.

Ask students, "How does the use of figurative language help create the mood of the poem?" after they have finished the worksheet. (The player experiences moments of uncertainty and is filled with suspense and excitement.) Ask students to cite instances of words or phrases that convey mood in the poem as proof. (anticipation: running a scattering of steps; taunts them; uncertainty: going on and back)

Next, think about how the figurative language in the poem influences its meaning. Say, "The author uses several similes to describe the base thief. What recommendations do they make?" (It builds suspense and uncertainty to compare him to a tightrope walker—will he make it or not? Readers can better understand the player's movement and feel more suspense and anticipation when the player's movements are compared to those of a dropped ball and a child skipping rope. The player can convey his excitement for the moment by hovering "like an ecstatic bird," as if he is about to take off.) Say, "The author employs alliteration on multiple occasions. How does the poem's meaning benefit from the alliteration?" (enhances the player's movements and maintains the event's rapid pace)

Lastly, list the poem's imagery instances. Mention how the imagery heightens the poem's suspense and excitement while providing the reader with a visual perspective of the player's actions. Assist students in realizing the significance of the poem's figurative language and imagery to both the reading experience and its meaning.

Interpret the situation literally as follows: "A baseball player is attempting to steal a base and must choose whether to go for it or not. He chooses to sprint to the base at the end of the race." Ask students what aspects of this interpretation—such as the player's appearance, tension, and excitement—are missing. Assist students in realizing that figurative language adds layers of meaning through its suggestions, rather than being taken literally.

After reading "The Base Stealer," assign students who require more practice to look for instances of figurative language and imagery in other poems in pairs.

Extension:

Observe the students and make a note of those who might require more learning opportunities. As needed, offer more assistance.

Provide a clear example of how to use figurative language if that is the issue. You don't mean it literally when you say that you'd rather walk through a fire than attend your piano lesson. Your use of hyperbole and exaggeration, or figurative language, is intended to convey a point. Provide comparable, understandable examples of personification, metaphor, and simile as needed.
Poetry with lots of imagery, like Emily Dickinson's "I'll tell you how the sun rose" or Robert Frost's "After Apple Picking," can be assigned to students who struggle with it. Encourage them to look for five sense-appealing images in the poems. Next, give them an item or event to consider and have them describe it in writing using one or more senses. Inform them that they are producing original imagery.
Ask students to list multiple words (such as funny, mysterious, or melancholy) that best describe the mood of a text to give them more practice with mood. After that, ask them to write or look up instances of words or phrases that set the tone. (For instance, humorous can mean silly, lighthearted, or laughing.)
Students who are prepared to go beyond the basics should read Langston Hughes' "Mother to Son" or a comparable poem. Talk about the poem's metaphor and its implications as a class. (Life is compared to climbing a rough staircase; the metaphor implies that despite all of life's obstacles, one must continue.) Ask students to write on a piece of paper, "Life is..." and list five things that they would compare life to. (For instance, a race, a ship at sea, or an endless tale.) Put a list of the metaphors on the interactive whiteboard or board. Next, assign students to work in small groups. Give them one of the metaphors and ask them to explain how life reflects the comparison. Lastly, assign the students to compose a poem of five to eight lines with the title “Life is . . . .”