Sound devices are literary elements that authors use to help readers understand, experience, and hear what is happening in a text.

For your convenience, the examples above are included in a FREE Digital download that includes:

• Clear explanations and examples

• Opportunities to practice writing with sound devices

• Fun comic strip activity that your child or students can create

As an English Language Arts teacher for over 20 years, I have learned that students learn best when information is shared with them and practiced with them before they have an opportunity to create and demonstrate learning on their own. This activity gives them the opportunity to do just taht.

Authors use sound devices, because they help the reader use their imaginations to hear what is happening in the text. Let's look at this in action.

An author can communicate an idea in a simple sentence, like the following:

She saw a car accident.

The sentence above tells the reader what happened; however, if the author would like the reader to feel like they experienced the event in the sentence, he or she could write the following sentence:

“Oh no, there was a collision!” She screamed. “The cars crashed and were badly smashed. Oh my goodness, I hope everyone is alright!”

Do you see the difference? The second example shows how sound devices impact a text and the reader.

The second example uses sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, and rhyme) that allow the reader to hear and feel the event and remember it.

Let's look at some examples of sound devices in popular literature. Take a look at the poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.

Notice the sound devices (alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia, and repetition) highlighted in each stanza.

• Examples of Alliteration are highlighted in pink.

• Examples of rhyme are green.

• Onomatopoeias are blue.

• In orange, you'll find repetition.

These sound devices also appear in other stanzas, but are presented stanza by stanza for simplicity.

This is a fun, simple, and easy-to-understand activity for readers to review or learn sound devices.

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Some other sound devices include:

• Assonance

• Consonance

If you are looking for more extensive practice for sound devices, including alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, and rhyme. Our sound device unit is a comprehensive suite of sound device activities, handouts, and worksheets to help students learn, practice, and apply critical thinking skills.

The Sound Device Unit is a chapter from our book, "Decoding Poetry". It includes the following:

1. Poetry Fun Fact - great for lesson engagement

2. Sound Device Vocabulary - assesses where students are on the terms and ensures students are clear on the terms they don't know

3. Sound Device Pretest - gives you a baseline to assess, and use the results to hone skills

4. Individual Lessons on each sound device (alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, and rhyme)

5. Sound Device Comprehension Activity - a culminating activity to ensure students understand what is going on

6. Sound Device Post Test -

7. Bonus Activities