Figurative Language — Personification

Personification breathes life into objects and ideas. 'The wind whispered' — wind doesn't whisper, but the phrase makes us feel it. Indirect aim: imaginative writing, preparation for myth and fable, understanding of folklore traditions.

• Framework: Montessori
• Unit: Language
• Learning area: Style & Figurative Language
• Level: Ages 7-9

Objectives

• Define personification as giving human qualities to non-humans
• Identify personification in literature
• Compose original personifications
• Use in descriptive writing

Materials

• Literature with personification examples
• Poetry journal
• Myth and fable collection
• Writing prompts

Instructions

1. Read: 'The trees danced in the wind'. 2. Identify personification — trees don't really dance. 3. Find personification in myths, nursery rhymes, poetry. 4. Compose: 'The old clock '. 5. Try with weather, nature, emotions. 6. Write a paragraph personifying one object. 7. Share; peers identify the personifications. 8. File.

Educator tip

Personification grounds Aesop's fables and Native American tales. Connect to cultural studies — the sun as a person, the river as a grandmother.

Assessment

Observe identification, quality of composition, transfer to descriptive writing.

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