Roll-a-Poem Lesson Plan: A Poetry Game with Figurative Language

ByDylan Callens

This Roll-a-Poem lesson plan turns figurative language practice into a quick classroom game. Students roll a die to determine which poetic device they must include, then build a poem that uses the device meaningfully rather than simply checking it off a list.

Learning Goals & Standards

Students will identify and apply common poetic devices, revise language for effect, and explain how a chosen device changes a poem. This supports CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4, W.9-10.4, and W.9-10.5.

Materials & Preparation

  • One die per pair or small group
  • A device key: 1 simile, 2 metaphor, 3 personification, 4 alliteration, 5 onomatopoeia, 6 hyperbole
  • Notebook paper or devices
  • Optional topic cards

Bell Ringer: Name That Device

Display six teacher-created sample lines, one for each device. Students identify the technique and explain the clue that helped them decide.

Mini-Lesson: Technique with Purpose

Briefly review the six devices. Emphasize that strong poetry uses a device because it improves an image, mood, sound, or idea. Model revising a plain sentence twice: first with a forced device, then with a more purposeful one. Ask which version feels more natural and why.

Student Work: Roll-a-Poem

Round 1: Warm-Up Lines

Students roll once and write a single line using the matching device. Partners check whether the device is accurate.

Round 2: Build a Stanza

Students roll three times and write a six- to eight-line stanza containing all three devices.

Round 3: Revise for Meaning

Students choose one device to strengthen. They revise the line so the technique contributes to tone or imagery.

Optional Challenge Round

Roll a device and draw a random topic such as “the last bus,” “a thunderstorm,” “an empty gym,” or “Sunday night.” Students have five minutes to create a short poem.

Assessment & Exit Ticket

Assess correct use of devices and, more importantly, whether they fit the poem. Exit ticket: Which poetic device was easiest to use naturally? Which was hardest?

Differentiation

Allow students to use a reference sheet with definitions and examples. For added challenge, require the same device twice in different ways or have students explain the effect of each device in a brief annotation.

First-Hand Suggestions for Teachers

I would keep the competitive element light. The dice create enough unpredictability on their own. The strongest learning comes from the revision round, where students move from “I included a metaphor” to “this metaphor actually improves the poem.”

Extend the Lesson

Students can create their own six-sided device key and trade it with another group, adding techniques such as consonance, assonance, repetition, or enjambment.

See more games in 45 Poetry Games for the Classroom.

Poetry games and activities from The Teachers' Blog Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers

Featured photo: Mark Casey via Unsplash.