We’ve been reading “All Summer in a Day'' and using it as a mentor text to explore how writers use figurative language to bring their writing alive and share images with the reader. Ray Bradbury’s story is a masterwork in this, and we needed to get colorful with it.
Word traveled fast today and by the time I got to my last class, a hush blanketed the room as I entered. The low level buzz turned into frenetic chatter...Are those them? I think so! She’s got a whole box! Look at all the colors!
And so, highlighters in hand, students set to work hunting for metaphors and similes, which led to discoveries of personification, and bled over into free writes in readers’ and writers' notebooks. Precise word choice was celebrated (vital instead of necessary) and, yes, highlighted.
The class ended with satisfied sighs, desks littered with stories bright with purposeful markings (because we are so over coloring the whole page!), and renewed energy for writing that comes alive thanks to the magic of figurative language.