Word Play
The goal of word play is for students to become more aware of words, manipulate them playfully, and appreciate their power.
Word Play and Giftedness
- Gifted children often enjoy wordplay, puns and combining words in unusual or creative ways.
- Verbal ability can also make kids stand apart from the crowd, and verbally gifted children sometimes have trouble with classmates and friends because their language highlights their differences.
Word Play Resources
Figurative Language Contract
Figurative Language in Movies
Check out these engaging links.
- Explained through Movie Clips
- Figurative Language in Commercials and Movies - onomatopoeia, personification, cliche, hyperbole, etc.
- Disney Songs Mash-Up Figurative Language
Puns
The novel Punished by David Lubar is a fun read for your students and it introduces them to a variety of ways to play with words. Here is a learning contract designed to go along with the novel.
Using A "PUN"ny List, students will learn that a pun is a joke that makes a play on words by using words that sound similar.
Two books I love for puns are Eight Ate: A Feast of Homonym Riddles by Marvin Terban and Deer Dear: A Book of Homophones by Gene Barreta
Analogies
Use these two videos to introduce kids to analogies. The first video is an analogy lesson teaching students how to build analogies. The second discusses the types of analogies.
This Word Analogy Game is easy to print and use.
Idioms
Students can use this Idioms Study to learn about idioms, figurative vs. literal language and examples of idioms. There are web links and activity choices.
This Blendspace lesson has lots of examples of idioms
Author's Purpose
Phantom Tollbooth
Miss Alaineus
Here is a link to the author's guide for extensions and planning a vocabulary parade. Host a Vocabulary Parade
Frindle
Frindle Book Discussion Guide and the Andrew Clements website.