Name: ___________________________________________________Period _______
Praise Poem: Mirror Activity
Guiding Question: What do you see when you look in the mirror?
Objective: I can use figurative language and sensory details to describe and praise myself.
Goal: Complete list of adjectives that describe you. Complete description of what you see in the
mirror.
STEP #1
Look in the mirror. Make a list of what you see. For example: brown eyes.
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STEP #2
Choose 4-6 of your descriptive words and add more details, for example: brown
eyes becomes coffee-with no cream-but 2 sugars-colored eyes.
1. ______________ becomes _____________________________________
2. ______________ becomes _____________________________________
3. ______________ becomes _____________________________________
4. ______________ becomes _____________________________________
5. ______________ becomes _____________________________________
6. ______________ becomes _____________________________________
STEP #3
Now, look deeper into the mirror. Pretend you can see to your bones like an X-ray
machine, or the workings of your head like a brain wave scanner, or deep into the
DNA of your cells. What do you see? (Don’t write the obvious like “bones”! Think of
where you come from, your people, your hopes and dreams, your secrets, your
talents. What do you see that makes you, well, you?
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STEP #4
Make your mirror talk to you! Describe what the mirror sees when you look into it.
Think of it this way, does the mirror see the same thing that you do? Consider: Do
others see us in the same way we see ourselves?
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STEP #5
Write a letter to yourself that praises you, your people, your culture, your
language, your school, or something else that you can embrace about you!
Dear _____________________,
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STEP #6
Now identify 3-4 items, features, or ideas from what you have written and create a
simile or metaphor out of it. (Total of 3-4 similes or metaphors.)
1. ____________ becomes ________________________________________
2. ____________ becomes ________________________________________
3. ____________ becomes ________________________________________
4. ____________ becomes _______________________________________
STEP #7
Create a Praise Poem!
MN State Standards: 7.4.1.1—identify key details in a text; 7.7.3.3—Write narratives and other creative
texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences. b. Use literary and narrative techniques, such as dialogue,
pacing, rhythm, rhyme, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, figurative and sensory language to capture
the action and convey experiences and events.
10/20 & 10/21
Focus: Figurative Language (15 minutes)
1. First, show this simple mini-lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zQyj-etm2Q Similes &
Metaphors (uses term figurative language) (2:09) Then, go to the “figurative Language Warm Ups”
displayed on the screen and have students create a simile & metaphor.
2. Add to the list of figurative language ideas by having students listen and watch the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPjAiUbdl14 Flocabulary rap song—simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia,
hyperbole, alliteration, consonance, assonance (2:52)
3. Lastly, show the figurative language montage of songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z03pREr8epg Good! Think songs are poems to music. Hyperbole,
simile, alliteration, repetition, imagery (sensory details), allusion, jargon, flashback, personification (4:56)
Additional Aids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoSBVNUO2LU similes & metaphors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1c6zF9aJxs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb4fqcUe_Ck onomatopoeia, personification, cliché, hyperbole….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMSLgxj2dxk alliteration, personification, hyperbole, simile, metaphor
Teacher share praise poem
My Little Toe—by Kathy Romero
On my right sole there is a toe that takes a ride on the side of the toe next to it.
In sand it does not show on its ride way up high on the side of the toe next to it.
But it does not hide on the ride up high inside the shoe that holds the toe next to it.
On the ride it moans and groans as it rubs inside the shoe that holds the toe next to it.
In years gone by my mom had a toe that took rides on the side of the toe next to it.
It made me smile to see her toe just like mine high on the side of the toe next to it.
We made eight not ten in the sand while two took rides on the side of the toe next to it.
One day our souls will smile again to see my toe along side of her toe next to it.
Name: __________________________________________________________Period ________
Creative Writing—Praise Poem: Rubric
Assignment: Write a creative praise to you poem, lyrics, or paragraph. Your text must contain at least 4
examples of figurative language. Use the details and figurative language you have already identified and
created in your Praise Poem Mirror Activity.
MN Std
4
3
2
1
0
7.7.3.3
Exemplary Proficient
Basic Proficient
Progressing
Beginning
No
Evidence
Precise
I can use many
I can use some
I can use a few
My language is I did not
Language precise, descriptive
precise, descriptive
details that
imprecise and
do the
details that include
details that include
describe actions
vague or
assignme
figurative language,
figurative language,
and emotions.
unclear making nt.
such as: simile,
such as: simile,
it difficult to
metaphor,
metaphor,
Few = 2 or less
understand
personification,
personification,
actions and
hyperbole,
hyperbole,
emotions.
alliteration,
alliteration,
repetition, and/or
repetition, and/or
1 or no
sensory details to
sensory details to
examples of
describe actions and
describe actions and
figurative
emotions.
emotions.
language.
Many = 4 or more
Some = 3
Name: __________________________________________________________Period _________
Creative Writing—Praise Poem: Rubric
Assignment: Write a creative praise to you poem, lyrics, or paragraph. Your text must contain at least 4
examples of figurative language. Use the details and figurative language you have already identified and
created in your Praise Poem Mirror Activity.
MN Std
4
3
2
1
0
7.7.3.3
Exemplary Proficient
Basic Proficient
Progressing
Beginning
No Evidence
Precise
I can use many
I can use some
I can use a few
My language is I did not do
Language precise, descriptive
precise, descriptive
details that
imprecise and
the
details that include
details that include
describe actions
vague or
assignment.
figurative language,
figurative language,
and emotions.
unclear making
such as: simile,
such as: simile,
it difficult to
metaphor,
metaphor,
Few = 2 or less
understand
personification,
personification,
actions and
hyperbole,
hyperbole,
emotions.
alliteration,
alliteration,
repetition, and/or
repetition, and/or
1 or no
sensory details to
sensory details to
examples of
describe actions and
describe actions and
figurative
emotions.
emotions.
language.
Many = 4 or more
Some = 3