Classroom Resource

Buzz! Whiz! Bang! Using Comic Books to Teach Onomatopoeia

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

3, 4, 5

Overview

Bam! Beep! Zoom! Students are sure to delight in the study of onomatopoetic words through the use of comic strips. In this lesson, students begin with an introduction to onomatopoeia, which describes words that imitate the natural sound associated with an action or object. As a class, students view several comic strips and are guided in identifying examples of onomatopoeia. The group then discusses the purpose of onomatopoeia and its effect in a story before students work individually to find examples of onomatopoeia in other comics. Finally, students work individually or in pairs to create their own comic books that include onomatopoeic language. After presenting their comics to the class, students discuss the use of onomatopoeia and its effectiveness in each comic strip.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.R3

Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.R3

Vocabulary

  • Background knowledge
  • Vocabulary
  • Discussion

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Relating experiences through discussions, reading, and writing will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.27

Read prose, poetry, and dramas, identifying the literary devices used by the author to convey meaning.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.27

Vocabulary

  • Prose
  • Poetry
  • Dramas
  • Identifying
  • Literary devices
  • Author
  • Convey meaning

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Literary text often includes literary devices, such as personification, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, symbolism, metaphor, and simile.
  • An author uses literary devices to convey meaning within the text.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify the literary devices when reading prose, poetry, and dramas.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Literary devices are a special type of language that an author uses to convey meaning in literary text.
  • Literary devices are language that carries meaning other than the literal meaning of the words or phrases.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.R5

Identify and explain literary devices in prose and poetry.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.R5

Vocabulary

  • Identify
  • Explain
  • Literary devices
  • Prose
  • Poetry

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Literary devices are language that carries meaning other than the literal meaning of the words or phrases.
  • Literary text often includes literary devices, such as personification, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, symbolism, metaphor, and simile.
  • Poetry is a genre of text that uses distinctive style and rhythm to aid in the expression of feelings, while prose is written in ordinary language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify literary devices in prose and poetry.
  • Explain the meaning of literary devices in prose and poetry.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Literary devices are often included in literary text, like prose and poems.
  • An author uses literary devices to convey meaning within the text.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.10

Interpret words and phrases, including figurative language, as they are used in a text.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.10

Vocabulary

  • Interpret
  • Figurative language

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Strategies to identify word meaning in context.
  • Figurative language is a creative way to use words and phrases beyond their literal definition to explain or describe something.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Explain the meaning of words and phrases that are specific to the text.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Words and phrases, including figurative language, can have different meanings in different texts.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.R5

Identify and explain literary devices in prose and poetry.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.R5

Vocabulary

  • Identify
  • Explain
  • Literary devices
  • Prose
  • Poetry

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Literary devices are language that carries meaning other than the literal meaning of the words or phrases.
  • Literary text often includes literary devices, such as personification, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, symbolism, metaphor, and simile.
  • Poetry is a genre of text that uses distinctive style and rhythm to aid in the expression of feelings, while prose is written in ordinary language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify literary devices in prose and poetry.
  • Explain the meaning of literary devices in prose and poetry.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Literary devices are often included in literary text, like prose and poems.
  • An author uses literary devices to convey meaning within the text.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.12

Interpret the meaning of words, phrases, and patterns as they are used in texts, including domain-specific and academic vocabulary and figurative language.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.12

Vocabulary

  • Domain-specific vocabulary
  • Academic vocabulary
  • Figurative language

Knowledge

Student know:
  • Academic vocabulary is language that is more formal than spoken language.
  • Domain-specific vocabulary refers to words that are used specifically in school subject areas, like math, science, and social studies.
  • Figurative language is a creative way to use words and phrases beyond their literal definition to explain or describe something.
  • Strategies to determine the meaning of words, phrases, and patterns in text.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Interpret the meaning of domain-specific vocabulary, academic vocabulary, and figurative language as they are used in texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There are multiple strategies they can use to interpret the meaning of academic and domain-specific vocabulary, including using context clues in the text, their background knowledge, the morphological structure of the word, and outside resources.
  • Words and phrases, including figurative language, can have different meanings in different texts.
Link to Resource
http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/buzz-whiz-bang-using…

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

ReadWriteThink
Accessibility
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

Comments or Notes

This is a free resource with additional links to interactives, printouts, and websites.

Approved Date

raulstoncg
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