Education Technology


NCTE: Collaborating on Allusions

Activity Overview

After the class works together to create one sample allusion, students will work together in groups of four to create 20 relevant, current allusions. Each student group then selects five of the 20 allusions they created to incorporate into a 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.

Explain lesson objectives. Place students in groups of four. Walk students through an example of a current allusion that could be made about a celebrity. Ask students to think of a person everyone would be aware of.

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

    Students submit their "Poem, Allusion Ideas," and the "Allusion 5-9" files. These extra files explain the allusions they used in their poems, including what the allusion is to, what it means to them, and why they used it in the poem. Remind students to look for allusions as they read novels and poems.