Education Technology


NCTE: Assessing Allusions

Activity Overview

Students will read a poem, identify its uses of allusion, and explain the effect of each allusion in short answers. They will offer suggestions for a similar poem to create allusions that would maintain a similar theme as those used in the poem.

Before the Activity

See the attached Activity PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity.

Print the appropriate pages from the Activity for your class.

Install the LearningCheck(tm) App on the students' graphing calculators following the attached instructions.

Review lesson objectives with students.

During the Activity

  • Distribute the appropriate pages from the Activity to your class
  • Distribute the LearningCheck(tm) file(s) to your class using TI Connect(tm) and the appropriate TI Connectivity cable
  • Follow the procedures outlined in the Activity


  • Students will:
  • Respond to a poem.
  • Identify, explain, and discuss allusions.
  • Examine effect of allusions on response.
  • Create currently relevant allusions.
  • Compose a poem that incorporates five allusions.
  • Identify and explain allusions in a poem.
  • Create alternate allusions and explain their intended effects.
  • After the Activity

    Discuss alternate topics and allusions students came up with.