As the hikers set out under clear skies, Maya noticed a thin line of dark clouds behind the mountain. She decided not to mention it.
7th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 1 of 13
Literary Devices
Irony, foreshadowing and symbolism
What your child practices
Recognizing the tools writers use: figurative language, foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism and the three kinds of irony (verbal, situational and dramatic), plus the parts of a plot.
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 7.1.8.1; 7.1.5.1 · figurative language, and how the telling of events builds meaning
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Foreshadowing hints at what will happen later. A flashback jumps back to an earlier time.
- A symbol is an object that stands for a bigger idea.
- Irony: verbal (saying the opposite of what you mean), situational (the opposite of what’s expected happens), dramatic (readers know what a character doesn’t).
Example: A fire station burns down. What kind of irony is this? You’d expect a fire station to be the safest place from fire. The opposite of what you expect happens. Answer: Situational irony
Literary Devices in Minnesota
In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 1 of 13 in 7th grade English Language Arts, before Tone & Mood.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
In a story, a dove appears whenever the characters make peace. What device is the dove an example of?
- Hyperbole
- Onomatopoeia
- Flashback
- Symbolism
Symbolism
Hint: The dove stands for a bigger idea: peace. An object that represents an idea is a symbol.
Question 2
Put the parts of a plot in order, from beginning to end.
- Resolution: the conflict is settled
- Rising action: the conflict builds
- Climax: the turning point
- Falling action: events after the turning point
- Exposition: characters and setting are introduced
Exposition: characters and setting are introduced → Rising action: the conflict builds → Climax: the turning point → Falling action: events after the turning point → Resolution: the conflict is settled
Hint: Picture a mountain: the story introduces its people, climbs as the conflict builds, peaks at the turning point, then comes down to an ending.
Question 3
Which literary device does this excerpt use?
- Hyperbole
- Onomatopoeia
- Foreshadowing
- Flashback
Foreshadowing
Hint: The dark clouds hint that trouble may come later. Hints about future events are foreshadowing.
Question 4
Which literary device does this excerpt use?
Standing at the finish line, Ana suddenly remembered the first time she tried to run a lap, three years earlier, gasping and red-faced before she was even halfway around the track.
- Onomatopoeia
- Flashback
- Personification
- Foreshadowing
Flashback
Hint: The story jumps back three years to show an earlier scene. That's a flashback.
Question 5
Which literary device does this excerpt use?
Since his best friend moved away, Sam has carried a broken compass in his pocket. Its needle spins and spins, never settling on a direction.
- Hyperbole
- Onomatopoeia
- Symbolism
- Flashback
Symbolism
Hint: The compass stands for something bigger: Sam feels lost without his friend. An object that represents an idea is a symbol.
Question 6
Which literary device does this excerpt use?
Noah spent all weekend building a robot to tidy his room. By Sunday night, his room was messier than ever, covered in robot parts.
- Dramatic irony
- Verbal irony
- Flashback
- Situational irony
Situational irony
Hint: The result is the opposite of what Noah expected. When events turn out opposite to expectations, that's situational irony.