Lesson Plan (Grades 6-8): Visual Poetry Collage: Interpreting Figurative Language through Art

Lesson Title: Visual Poetry Collage

Grade Level: Grades 6–8

Subject Area: Language Arts & Visual Arts

Overview Poems use figurative language—metaphor, simile, personification—to evoke vivid images and emotions. In this multi-session project, students will select a poem, identify examples of these poetic devices, and transform their interpretations into a large-scale visual collage. Working in small teams, they will:

1. Analyze a mentor poem to catalog metaphors, similes, and personification.
2. Brainstorm visual symbols and text snippets that represent each device.
3. Plan a cohesive collage layout through thumbnail sketches.
4. Collect magazine images, found text, and mixed-media elements.
5. Assemble and refine a collaborative collage on butcher paper or mural board.
6. Compose an artist’s statement connecting visual elements to specific figurative-language examples.
7. Present and reflect on how art and words combine to deepen poetic understanding.

This lesson develops critical reading, creative thinking, cooperative planning, and artistic skills, reinforcing English Language Arts and Visual Arts standards while engaging middle schoolers in hands-on, authentic expression.

Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Identify Figurative Devices: Locate and explain at least three instances each of metaphor, simile, and personification in the chosen poem.
2. Symbolic Representation: Select and justify specific images, colors, and text fragments that symbolically mirror identified devices.
3. Collaborative Design: Plan and execute a visually balanced collage that integrates image, text, and color to reflect the poem’s tone and themes.
4. Artist’s Statement: Write a concise statement (150–200 words) linking at least three collage elements to corresponding lines in the poem.
5. Presentation Skills: Confidently present the completed collage and statement to peers, explaining artistic choices and literary connections.

Standards Alignment

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.4 / RL.7.4 / RL.8.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.2 / W.7.2 / W.8.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas clearly, using domain-specific vocabulary.
• NCAS VA:Cr1.1.6–8: Brainstorm multiple approaches to creative challenges like interpreting poetry visually.
• NCAS VA:Cr2.1.6–8: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work by investigating, planning, and revising.
• SEL – Social Awareness: Demonstrate empathy and appreciation for diverse perspectives by interpreting emotional and thematic content of poetry through art.