What are some creative/fun ways to teach literary terms?

Question

I have to teach my 11th graders 100 literary terms (allegory, alliteration, etc.). I don't want to just give them a list of terms every week and say, "Here. Go memorize these." What are some engaging methods to help students learn literary terms?

Answer 1

you really want to teach it in context. for example, if you are teaching lord of the flies, you would teach allegory at that juncture, poetic terms during a poetry unit, etc. (It would be silly to make them memorize the definition of a sonnet 5 months before they read one!)

If not, you aren't really attaching meaning to the definition.

We do short stories in our first grading period so I focus on the lit terms found in the specific short stories (all the regular plot things, metaphor, etc) When I teach our novel, I bring in the higher terms like "foil".

I think that this is the best streamlines process. Sort of like how kids pick up vocabulary from exposure when reading instead of through quizzes (although I also do quizzes).

You can also do much deeper thinking by using short answer questions on tests/quizzes that utilize this vocabulary. For example, "How does Ellison's tone in the passage change the readers perception of events?" Or "How would this story be different if Poe used a different POV?"

By requiring the students to use the terminology you are creating better writers and really making this part of their vocabulary.

Also, you will find ceretain terms are much more vital or difficult for them to grasp. Theme, for example is a tough one because it is not concrete. Simply knowing the definition will not mean they can analyze a work and pick out the theme. It requires practice with many pieces throughout the school year.

Good luck with the coming school year!

Answer 2

It seems to me that they should already know some of them; alliteration, metaphor, simile, personification.  

Perhaps start by giving them a list of all of the terms and having them fill in the ones they know (give them like10 minutes).  Then have them circulate to get other answers (be aware some answers may be wrong - this is where review will need to come in).  You can then ask them to pick three that they are sure of and bring in (appropriate) song lyrics to illustrate the lit term.  Then go through the list and share.  It would be at this time that you be sure that they have the correct definition.  If a student has a wrong answer have them help you explain why it is wrong.  You could go over a few at a time and before each class is over give them a poem to highlight examples of each term that was just reviewed.  This can act as a quick assessment to see which they get well, and which you will need to focus on more.

Hope these ideas help.  Good luck!