Symbolism is a playground for the mind. It lets students explore abstract ideas, follow the trail of hidden meanings, and combine creativity with careful analysis to discover the secrets authors leave behind. These three ready-to-go structures give students a space to make connections and bring the text to life. Take a look.
This Connect structure lets students dig deep into the elaborate symbolism of Hamlet. By exploring classmates’ entries, they uncover symbols and ideas they might have missed—and notice the clever choices Shakespeare made to layer meaning throughout the text. Use this structure in your classroom!
Line by line, students work through Robert Frost’s poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" in a Sequence structure, analyzing how symbols reference and build on each other to create the poem’s overall meaning. As they progress, they see classmates’ interpretations, noting similarities, differences, and new insights. Use this structure in your classroom!
Using a Web structure, students analyze a symbol from Euginia Collier's "Marigolds" and connect it to their own experiences. As the web grows, so does the sense of community in the class—students share personal insights, build empathy, and deepen their understanding of the text’s symbols and the real-world impact of figurative language. Use this structure in your classroom!
For more ideas, explore our English resources page—a vault of ready-to-use structures, lesson ideas, and sample structures from our team—where students can uncover the hidden meanings authors leave behind.