What Are Sound Devices?

We’re glad you asked! And here’s the simple answer:

Sound devices are literary techniques that create specific effects through the repetition and arrangement of sounds in words and phrases. Learning about sound devices helps students recognise how authors and poets make their writing more memorable, expressive and enjoyable to read.

Introducing poetry and literary techniques can sometimes feel challenging, especially when students are encountering these concepts for the first time. Thankfully, this ready-to-teach resource from Teach Starter does the heavy lifting for you!

This 28-slide teaching presentation will introduce your students to five of the most commonly used sound devices. Each sound device is explained in student-friendly language and supported with examples that encourage discussion and deeper thinking. Built-in check-for-understanding slides help you quickly identify students who may need extra support, while keeping the whole class actively involved in the lesson.

The sound devices featured in this presentation are:

• Rhyme
• Rhythm
• Alliteration
• Assonance
• Onomatopoeia

This sound devices presentation can be downloaded as a Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides file. By engaging with this resource, your students will be able to identify the most common sound devices and explain how these enhance the reader’s experience of poetry and literature.

Explore Sound Devices Examples with Further Learning

This sound devices slideshow is an excellent resource for introducing your class to five key forms of sound devices. Once students have explored the presentation, there are plenty of opportunities to reinforce their understanding through hands-on activities and collaborative learning experiences.

Why not try some of these follow-up activities:

• Class Scavenger Hunt – Have students search through familiar picture books, novels or classroom texts to find examples of sound devices. Ask students to identify the type of device used and explain its purpose.
• Collaborative Class Display – Place the students in small groups and assign each group a sound device. Have students create an informative poster explaining the device, providing definitions and original examples. Place all the posters together to create a comprehensive class display about sound devices.
• Independent Writing – Challenge students to write a short paragraph, story or poem using multiple sound devices. Set a goal to include at least one of each device from the PowerPoint presentation. Share completed writing pieces with the class and identify the sound devices used.

Download to Teach Sound Devices in Literature

Downloading this sound devices presentation is quick and easy! Use the dropdown menu on the Download button to access your preferred version. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides presentation before accessing it.)

Once downloaded, you can use this ready-to-teach resource to deliver a structured lesson that keeps students engaged and builds confidence in literary analysis.

This resource was created by Tanya Bailey, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator.

Resources to Complement This Sound Devices Presentation

Looking for more resources to support your teaching of sound devices? Great news… Teach Starter has many more teacher-created, curriculum-aligned resources available! Click below to start exploring our offering.

teaching resource

List of Sound Devices

Download this list of sound devices in poetry to help students recognise, understand and confidently use sound techniques that bring poems to life.

teaching resource

Poetry Analysis Worksheets – Year 3 and 4

Teach poetry analysis skills with this set of engaging children’s poems, accompanied by an analysis worksheet exploring purpose, audience, structure, sound and imagery.

teaching resource

Poetic Devices Teaching Slides

Explore examples of poetic devices using this comprehensive and age-appropriate slide deck perfect for your poetry writing unit.