Free English / Lesson plans / Level 3
Sky-painter and cloud-chaser: kennings and figurative language
Students decode an original kenning poem, learn four more figurative techniques, then write their own riddle poem in kennings.
At a glance
- From
- Level 3, Bridge English: Week 25, Stories that grip
- Grammar
- past perfect for narrative
- Key language
- simile (like, as), metaphor, personification, alliteration, kenning (two words joined with a hyphen: cloud-chaser)
- Children make
- A kenning poem of five to six lines that describes something without naming it.
- Class size
- Works with 10 to 50 children; pair and group steps say how to scale.
Objective
Students recognise and use figurative language, and write kennings to describe something without naming it.
Success criteria for children
- I can name five figurative techniques.
- I can decode a kenning.
- I can write a kenning poem with five lines.
Timing: 60 minutes
| Minutes | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 6 | Warm-up: describe it without saying it | Describe an object in three ways without naming it. |
| 6 to 14 | Read the kenning poem | Read the poem aloud; guess the secret. |
| 14 to 24 | Teach: kennings | Two words joined by a hyphen describe a thing by what it does. |
| 24 to 34 | Teach: four more techniques | Simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration. |
| 34 to 42 | Practice: match and decode | Worksheet tasks 1 and 2. |
| 42 to 56 | Write a kenning poem | Choose a secret subject; write five to six kennings. |
| 56 to 60 | Exit ticket | One new kenning. |
Materials
- Worksheet, pencils
- Board space to collect kennings from the class
- A short story (B1) (free, linked from Week 25)
- StoryWeaver storybooks (free, linked from Week 25)
- Lit2Go audio stories (free, linked from Week 25)
Step by step, with teacher talk
0 to 6 minWarm-up: describe it without saying it
- Say "It is warm, it rises in the morning, it makes shadows." Students guess (the sun). Ask them to try one in pairs.
6 to 14 minRead the kenning poem
- Read the poem line by line. Students guess what is being described. After the guess, ask which lines helped most.
14 to 24 minTeach: kennings
- Break down "day-opener": it opens the day. Show that the first word is often a noun and the second is a noun made from a verb (-er).
- Say that kennings are very old. They were used in Old English and Old Norse poetry, for example whale-road for the sea.
- Write a few together: pencil = paper-scratcher; clock = time-teller.
Concept-check questions
- Is "sky-painter" a real word in the dictionary? (No, a poet invents it.)
- What does "shadow-maker" describe in the poem? (The sun.)
24 to 34 minTeach: four more techniques
- Give one example of each and ask students for another: "like a silver coin" (simile); "the classroom was a zoo" (metaphor); "the wind whispered" (personification); "slippery snakes slid silently" (alliteration).
Concept-check questions
- "The wind whispered." Can wind really whisper? (No, it is personification.)
- What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor? (A simile uses like or as.)
34 to 42 minPractice: match and decode
- Students complete tasks 1 and 2. Check aloud.
42 to 56 minWrite a kenning poem
- Choose a subject: rain, a football, a school bell, the moon, a teacher's pen. Brainstorm what it does.
- Write five to six kennings on task 3 (do not write the title). Swap with a partner to guess.
56 to 60 minExit ticket
- See below.
Differentiation
Support
- Give a kenning starter bank: -maker, -catcher, -chaser, -giver, -waker.
- Students write four lines and draw a picture clue.
Stretch
- Add a simile or personification line to the poem.
- Write a kenning poem about yourself without your name.
- Make a class kenning book and put it on display.
Poem
Kennings by Litlings for this lesson. The answer is the sun.
Day-opener,
shadow-maker,
sky-painter,
flower-waker,
ice-melter,
warmth-giver.
Questions
- What is the poem about?
- Which kenning shows that it makes darkness change?
- Which kenning shows what it does to snow and ice?
- How many kennings are in the poem?
- Which kenning would you add?
Printable worksheet
Prints on its own A4 page. Use Print the worksheet above, or print the whole plan and the worksheet starts on a new page. One copy per child, or one per pair to save paper.
Litlings Free English · Level 3 · Week 25NameDate
Figurative language
1. Match the technique to the example.
| 1. Simile | ● | ● | a. The wind whispered through the trees. |
| 2. Metaphor | ● | ● | b. The moon was like a silver coin. |
| 3. Personification | ● | ● | c. cloud-chaser |
| 4. Alliteration | ● | ● | d. The classroom was a zoo. |
| 5. Kenning | ● | ● | e. Slippery snakes slid silently. |
2. What is being described?
- cheese-chaser, whisker-twitcher, hole-hider = ______
- page-turner, story-holder, shelf-sitter = ______
- ear-ringer, break-caller, lesson-ender = ______
3. Write your own kenning poem (five or six lines). Do not write the title.
Free to copy for classroom use.english.litlings.com/lesson-plans/kennings-and-figurative-language-vocabulary-lesson/
Answer key
Poem questions
- The sun.
- Day-opener.
- Ice-melter.
- Six.
- Answers will vary, for example light-bringer or cloud-lighter.
Worksheet
- 1: Simile = b; Metaphor = d; Personification = a; Alliteration = e; Kenning = c.
- 2: a mouse; a book; a school bell.
- 3: answers will vary. Check each line is two words joined by a hyphen and that the subject can be guessed.
Exit ticket
Write one new kenning for a school bell, a football or the rain. Swap it with a partner to guess.
Homework
Write a kenning poem about someone or something at home. Read it to someone and see if they can guess the secret.
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Sources and free resources
- Level 3, Week 25: Stories that grip (the curriculum week this plan comes from)
- All reading texts, dialogues, scripts, worksheets and answer keys on this page are original to Litlings and free to copy for classroom use.