Personification

The wind moaned through the trees.

Justice hung her head.

The grandfather clock droops its wooden shoulders.

• Objects to people--Find an object in your classroom and personify it. Use the name of the object as the subject of a sentence. Then add a verb and a predicate that describes an action a human would take. For example:

  he pen walks across the paper.

  The words in the book dance from the page.

  The chalk talked on the board.

  Items in a classroom that students could personify include:

  desks

  lights

  posters

  a pointer

  lab equipment

  books

  pens

  notebooks

  a hole punch

  the door

  tables

  a stapler

  a window

  thumb tacks

  chairs

• Animal talk--Have your students give a human character to animals such as: cat, rat, elephant, hippopotamus, fox, prairie dog, owl, wolf, eagle, sheep, turkey, goat, lion, cow, chicken, etc. For example, "The cat sat on his throne in command of his kingdom." Alternately, you can name a human characteristic and have students name an animal that exhibits that characteristic. For example, "wisdom" connotes an owl. Use words such as smart, cunning, stubborn, strong, proud.

• Outdoor people--A good outdoor activity is to have students see human qualities in the world around them. Sitting in a circle on a grass lawn or on a hike, ask each student to personify one of the objects in their surroundings--a tree, a bird, the sky, etc. For younger students ask them, "Do you see anything that looks like a person?" and then have them describe it to you.

• Cloud study--While outside, or looking out the window of your classroom have students find human features in the clouds.

• Why do we use personification?--Why do we tend to want to make animals or things seem human? Discuss this with your class or have students write a short essay.