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Data Project

Part 1: Information

Subject - English, focusing on figurative language

Grade – 10th

Number of students: 52 (some were absent from class during the pre and post-test).

SOLs - 10.3 The student will apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, and figurative

language to extend vocabulary development inauthentic texts.

a) Use structural analysis of roots, affixes, synonyms, antonyms, and cognates to understand

complex words.

b) Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases.

c) Discriminate between connotative and denotative meanings and interpret the connotation.

d) Identify the meaning of common idioms.

e) Identify literary and classical allusions and figurative language in text.

f) Extend general and specialized vocabulary through speaking, reading, and writing.

g) Use knowledge of the evolution, diversity, and effects of language to comprehend and

elaborate the meaning of texts.

Pre-assessment Description – The pre-assessment on figurative language was a 15-question quiz

on Google Forms. The questions were all fill-in-the-blank and the first 5 questions required

students to write a description of a simile, metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and

personification. The next 8 questions were quotes or sayings that used figurative language (only

the figurative language pieces previously mentioned) and students had to figure out what type of
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figurative language was being used. The last 2 questions required students to look up specific

verses in the Bible and write down the figurative language in them. Students were given 20

minutes to complete the quiz. The students struggled with this assessment. The median score was

25/75 and the average was 25.52/75.

Part 2: Activities

Four Corners Activity - One of the first activities in this unit was a Four Corners activity,

focused on personification, metaphors, and similes. 10 examples of these types of figurative

language were printed in a sheet of paper for the teacher. These examples were from different

pieces of literature to help students think about how common figurative language is in different

literary works. In the classroom, 4 corners had a piece of paper taped to them. 3 of these papers

had a different type of figurative language (personification, simile, and metaphor). The final

paper was “none of these.” The students loved this activity and showed a clear change in

demeanor during and after it. Some students even started arguing amongst themselves, trying to

get to the correct answer.

Examples Given during the Activity:

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Venn Diagram – This activity involved reading two different poems; “The Bird Came Down the

Walk” and “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud.” The first poem was discussed in class, but the

second was not. After reading, the students had to fill out a Venn Diagram, comparing the two

poems. This activity was rushed, due to the school changing the schedule for that day, so the

students were only required to fill out one item in each section in the Venn Diagram. This did not

go as well as hoped, as students did not always fill in answers that were directly related to

figurative language. This mistake was accounted for in the lessons following.

Student Work Samples from 10-5 Honors Class:

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Worksheet on “The Soul’s Dark Cottage” and “The Windows” – This was a 5-question

worksheet on the poems “The Soul’s Dark Cottage” and “The Windows.” These two poems were

discussed in class, but students had to delve deeper into the content to fill out this worksheet. 2

questions were multiple-choice (focused on what figurative language was present in the poem),

while the other 3 were short answer (focused on the extended metaphors and the Biblical

allusions in the poems). Students tended to do poorly on this, as a lot of students were testing the

waters with the student teacher to see how little work they could do, to get by. However, the

papers were graded harshly and the students who did very poorly were given an opportunity to

come after school to discuss their answers to the questions and receive half of the points that they

missed, back. About 13 of 24 students came after school to improve their grade. The students

that made 100% on the worksheet were given candy.

Student Work Samples from 10-5 Honors Class:

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Worksheet on all Poems Read During the Unit – This 12-question worksheet was a compilation

of all the poems we read in class, during the figurative language unit. The first 4 questions had

the students find the tenor, vehicle, and the type of figurative language used in specific quotes.

The next 8 questions were all about the different poems that were read in class (“A Bird Came

Down the Walk,” “The Soul’s Dark Cottage,” and “The Windows”). Some of the questions were

the same as the previous worksheet to see if students were paying attention to corrections on

their previous work. Two of the questions proved to be too difficult for the 10-3 class, so they

were omitted for the proceeding classes. The students did much better on this worksheet and

showed great improvement in their understanding of the important concepts in each poem and

figurative language in general. This was the last worksheet before the post-test assessment.

Student Work Samples from 10-5 Honors Class:

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Pre-Assessment
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Post-Assessment
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Part 3: Graphs
Venn Diagram Comparison:

Venn Diagram

Victoria

Michael

Erin

Lucas

Brynn

Bethany

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Venn Diagram

Worksheet 1 - “The Soul’s Dark Cottage” and “The Windows” - Comparison:

Worksheet 1
120

100

80

60

40

20

0
Bethany Brynn Lucas Erin Michael Victoria

Worksheet 1
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Worksheet 2 – All Poems - Comparison:

Worksheet 2
120

100

80

60

40

20

0
Bethany Brynn Lucas Erin Michael Victoria

Worksheet 2

Venn Diagram and Worksheets compared to one another:

Worksheet Comparison
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Bethany Brynn Lucas Erin Michael Victoria

Venn Diagram Worksheet 1 Worksheet 2

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Pre-Test Data:
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Post-Test Data:
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Pre- and Post-Test Comparison:

Line Graph of Pre and Post-Assessment Scores

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Bethany Brynn Lucas Erin Michael Victoria

Pre-Test Post-Test

Pre- and Post-Test Comparison:

Bar Graph of Pre and Post-Assessment Scores

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
Bethany Brynn Lucas Erin Michael Victoria

Pre-Test Post-Test
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Reflective Summary:
The requirements of this project were quite intensive, but clear, objective evidence was

gathered through the various steps, which supports the importance of implementing strategies

and worksheets to further student comprehension. Throughout this unit on figurative language,

many strategies were utilized to ensure engagement with the material. Some of the strategies

were think-pair-share, see-think-wonder, jigsaw, thumbs up-thumbs down, turn and talk, stand

up-hand up-pair up, inside-outside circle, Kahoot quizzes, and graphic organizers. All of these

seemed to help the students become engaged with the material and even, at times, become

competitive with the activities, as candy was offered for winners during a few of the activities.

Additionally, since none of the students understood metonymy or synecdoche, more time was

allotted to studying these forms of figurative language and more activities were geared towards

increasing students’ comprehension of these two. This was helpful, but some students still

missed questions on the post-assessment that involved synecdoche and metonymy. For the pre-

assessment and post-assessment, the level of difficulty was equal and verified by Mrs.

Wesselman. Overall, a vast majority of students met the objectives for this unit and some

students were able to triple their score from the pre-assessment to the post-assessment, such as

Lucas.

The data seems to suggest that classroom instruction was effective for all students, as all

students increased their score from the pre-test to the post-test. The lowest increase of the six

students observed was Brynn with an 18.5-point increase. However, this is still a significant

increase, as this brought her grade up from an “F-“ on the pre-assessment to a “D+” on the post-

assessment. The highest scorer was Victoria, who increased her score by 38.5 points from the

pre-assessment and obtained a perfect score on the post-assessment. On the other hand, Lucas
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was able to almost triple his pre-assessment score and went from a low “F-” to an “A.” This

increase was astounding and shows clear effort on both sides of the equation; the student and the

teacher. The most consistent scorer was Erin, as she was one of the highest scorers on both tests

and was consistent with her homework grades as well. Based on the data, all of these students

were fairly consistent with their homework grades, excluding Michael. The one assignment that

he did poorly on was due to him focusing on tryouts for an extra-curricular activity. Due to his

mind being elsewhere, he did not properly complete his homework and received a lower grade as

a result. On a final note, the overall data from all students showed a clear increase in the average

and median, which both more than doubled. This seems to support that effective teaching took

place in the classroom.

All activities and strategies went well and were tools that prompted student exploration,

thought, and engagement. The activities at Atlantic shores are few and far between. There is a lot

of independent study time and work time, so when students are allowed opportunities to work

together or get out of their seats and move about the room, they are almost immediately engaged

with the content. This was especially the case whenever candy was offered. Since the students

were so well behaved, no classroom management issues ever occurred, so teaching was able to

remain consistent throughout the unit. The main issue with this unit was running out of time, due

to the numerous schedule changes that happened at Atlantic Shores. Some of the activities that

were planned had to be cut short or were discarded altogether, to accommodate these schedule

changes. Towards the end of the unit, this was less of an issue. In the future, however, these time

issues will be taken into account and will not occur as prominently as before. Some students still

struggled with understanding metonymy and synecdoche, which was clear in the post-test. Most

of the missed questions were ones that involved these two types of figurative language, so further
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instruction and examples would need to be provided to help increase students’ comprehension.

The students did fantastic with learning the content in this unit and met the objectives for the

unit.