Middle School Language Arts, Middle School Reading

Teaching Symbolism in Middle School in 2 Easy Steps

Linda Asaro
January 4, 2024

This is the fourth in a mini-series on teaching reading comprehension skills with a focus on teaching symbolism.

If you are a middle school language arts teacher, then you teach reading skills. Teaching symbolism in literature is a skill you’ll want kids to have now and throughout their academic careers. Understanding symbolism gives kids a deeper understanding of stories. Read here for tips on teaching reading comprehension skills, specifically symbolism, in middle school.

blog post on teaching symbolism in middle school — Teaching symbolism can be tough. Read here for some practical tips.

Why Teaching Symbolism is Vital

Teaching symbolism is such a crucial skill. As kids enter and continue in middle school, it is our responsibility to bring kids to a deeper level of comprehension. Your students should be moving from a basic understanding of plot structure to examining text for nuances, character development, symbols, and theme.

It’s important for students to understand that authors don’t put objects in just for fun. They need to know that if an object, character, weather, etc. appears, they should be on the lookout for a deeper message.

Symbols are also a bridge to understanding theme. Many times, symbols give a hint at the theme of the story. For example, if you look at the ruby red symbols in The Wizard of Oz, a good guess is that they symbolize the power that Dorothy didn’t realize she had. She uses that power to get back home, and a possible theme of the story is that “there’s no place like home”.

Teaching symbolism is not easy. It is an abstract concept. It is therefore crucial for you to teach it very explicitly and give kids clear strategies and examples so that they can apply it to their reading.

General Tips on Teaching Reading Comprehension Skills

When teaching reading comprehension skills, you will want to use some consistency with your students so they know what to expect and what is expected of them. For me, I use a reading workshop model of instruction. I have a whole series of blog posts on reading workshop which you might like to check out. Please know that I adapted my reading workshop from the “true” model to be more skills-based.

General Reading Workshop Guidelines

Teach the mini-lesson – keep it brief…10-15 minutes
Student workshop time- this is when kids work on something in their reading that you taught in the mini-lesson
Conference – meet with kids to check in with their reading and how they are doing with the skills you are teaching
Share- meet at the end of class to briefly share something from their reading

Step 1: Create Your Mini-Lesson

What to Include in a Mini-Lesson for Teaching Symbolism:

I have an entire blog post related to teaching mini-lessons. Here is a shortened version:

Each mini-lesson follows a pattern. In this way, students not only know what to expect but you will have a “blueprint” for when you begin to create.

Here are the components with teaching symbolism examples:

Connect: Here you link what you have learned to where you are going in the lesson. Example: you might say, “When we last met we talked about objects that reappear in your novels. Today, you are going to look at possible bigger meanings for these objects.”
Teaching Objective: It is crucial to explicitly state to your students what you want them to learn. Example: “Today’s goal is to understand that authors purposefully put in objects in their stories that carry bigger meanings.”
Strategies: Here you will give kids a strategy or strategies to meet the objective. Example: “As you are reading, be on the lookout for symbols and how they might hint at the theme of the story.”
Engagement: This is where you want to show a real-life example and then have students practice during the lesson. Use “turn and talk” here so that students use a skill in a partnership. Example: “Turn and talk to your partner about an object that is important to you. Tell what it possibly symbolizes in your life.”
Student Objective: This is very important; it’s where students are given their directions for their workshop time. Keep it brief and specific. It is always best to note that students should be doing this every time they read, not just in this lesson. Example: “Today and every time you are reading a novel, notice when an object or character reappears. It might be a symbol. Keep a list of possible symbols from your novel in your reader’s notebook.”

I have a mini-lesson on teaching symbolism available in my TPT store.

lesson on symbolism for teaching reading comprehension skills in middle school — Check out this lesson on teaching symbolism.

Step 2: Practice with Teaching Symbolism– Activities for Students

Once kids have learned the skill, it’s time to practice. This is the portion of reading workshop where students go off to work and do something to apply the skill you taught in the mini-lesson to their reading. Be careful not to “kill the skill”…you are looking for application, not a bunch of extra work for your kids.

What practice should NOT look like:

Random worksheets – “skill and drill” style are not conducive to truly learning and applying reading skills
Unrelated exercises – kids should be applying it to the reading they are doing now, or to a mentor text (a short story that is in the same genre as your current unit of study, for example- a short historical fiction story if you are in a historical fiction unit)
Work that is too long – you don’t want kids doing skill work that takes a long time; you want them getting into their reading

What practice SHOULD look like:

Mentor text work: Having a mentor text to refer to throughout a unit is key. You’ll want one that is in the same genre and contains skills that you will be teaching. For example, if you are in a realistic fiction unit and are teaching character traits, symbolism, theme, dialogue, and internal monologue, you’ll want a short story to do that. It should be a high-interest story. I love the story “The Jacket” by Gary Soto for teaching symbolism.
Reading application: As you progress in the unit and kids are reading novels, have them keep a chart of objects and possible meanings.
Debate: Having kids debate is a great engagement strategy. For example, students might disagree on whether an object symbolizes fear or grief. I would keep it quick (maybe 10 minutes) as you want kids actually reading during reading workshop.
Centers: Having kids do centers on a specific skill towards the end of a unit to show what they know and to extend their learning is ideal. It can also help them to prepare for an upcoming assessment. I have centers on symbolism available in my TPT store.