Whisper Words®
Reading Buddies
Whisper Words® is a teaching /
learning strategy developed in 1990 by an elementary school teacher
and is still being used today. It was created to aid children with vocabulary
development, while improving listening and thinking skills. As stories are read
aloud at home or in the classroom, figurative language is used throughout
literature to make stories come alive. Often times, children have not been
introduced to figurative language, or have not yet mastered the “hidden meaning”
of these words or phrases. With the help of Whisper Words® Reading Buddies, and
through active participation, children use hand signals to participate and
acknowledge the hidden meaning of these (standards based) figures of speech. In
a short amount of time and with practice, critical listening skills are
enhanced, the word or concept is understood and mastery is attained. The
Whisper Words® strategy is highly interactive, and for many children, their
first experience with thinking practice.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Simile, Metaphor, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Idiom,
Personification, Exaggeration (Hyperbole)
Haley - Onomatopoeia: Word used
for a sound it makes
Onomatopoeia - Haley: Word
used for a sound it makes
Onomatopoeia is a word used for the sound it is intended to make in a story.
Buzz, Click, Bang and Cuckoo are examples of onomatopoeia.
Shahab - Personification: When things have human characteristics
Personification - Shahab:
When things have human characteristics
Personification describes human
characteristics in non-human things.
Lindsay - Simile: Compares using
like, or as
Simile - Lindsay: Compares
using like, or as
A simile compares two things using like, or as.
Jody - Exaggeration: "Hyperbole" More than
believable
Exaggeration "Hyperbole" -
Jody - More than believable
Exaggeration is a saying that is more than
believable.
Tara - Idiom: Phrase with two meanings
Idiom - Tara: Phrase with
two meanings
An Idiom is a phrase with two meanings.
Matthew - Metaphor: Compares “is
something”
Metaphor - Matthew: Compares
“is something”
A metaphor compares two things by saying one thing is something
else.
Alex - Alliteration: Words beginning with the same letter
Alliteration - Alex: Words beginning with the same
letter.
Alliteration occurs when two or more words begin with the same letters.
