Unit Plan 14 (Grade 5 ELA): Poetry Craft — Figurative Language & Imagery

Focus: Simile/metaphor, sound devices; meaning of words/phrases

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading Literature, Language)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This week, readers become poetry analysts and mini-poets. Students will identify and interpret figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification), track imagery and sound devices (alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, repetition), and explain how poetic structure (lines, stanzas, refrains, line breaks) shapes meaning and tone. They’ll also explore word nuances, idioms/adages/proverbs, and context to determine the meaning of words and phrases. By Friday, each learner can unpack a poem with text evidence, explain how structure contributes to meaning, and craft a short poem that intentionally uses imagery and sound.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in poems, including figurative language and tone, using context and connotation (RL.5.4).
2. Explain how poetic structure (verse, stanza, line breaks, refrains) and sound patterns contribute to meaning and tone (RL.5.5).
3. Interpret figurative language (similes, metaphors), recognize/explain idioms/adages/proverbs, and analyze word relationships/nuances (L.5.5a–c).

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 5

• RL.5.4, RL.5.5, L.5.5a–c

Success Criteria — student language

• I can find and explain a simile or metaphor and tell what it really means in the poem.
• I can name how sound and structure (alliteration, repetition, stanzas, line breaks) shape tone or meaning.
• I can figure out tricky words/phrases (including idioms/proverbs) using context and connotation.
• I can write a short poem with purposeful imagery and at least one sound device.