How do you teach 8th graders literary terms? Onomatopeia, personification, metaphor/simile, and the list goes on. I hardly remember the terms sometimes. How do I teach them these terms so that they can retain them? It takes repetition--do I cycle through my entire curriculum four times a year? That would be ideal, but not realistic. Then I'm supposed to teach them grammar, plus writing, plus reading? And half of them aren't even at 8th grade level: there are ELL's, lazy students, transfers, etc. And I have to get them to the point where they can pass the CSAP? Oy! I think I'll stick with teaching them to think. Maybe that's the strategy I need to start with. If a student can think, s/he can do anything.