Modeled Practice
Introduce similes to students by writing the word boy on a chart, black/whiteboard, or overhead transparency. Ask, If I asked you to write a paragraph that describes a boy in detail, what kinds of details might you include in your descriptions? Students might say they would describe the boy’s physical characteristics (such as his height, the color of his eyes…) or they might describe the way he acts (worried, happy-go-lucky…). Give students time to share some other things they might describe about the boy as you list them for the class to see. If they state things such as how big he is you might start to elicit more detail by providing a question such as How big is he? Fill in this blank: The boy is as big as a ____.)

Next, write this sentence on a board or chart:

The boy is as _____ as _____.

Give students some time to think of one of their own similes to describe a boy. They might do this as a class, or they might do it on their own and then share their similes during a sharing time.

Arrange students into groups or three or four. Post a sheet of chart paper at various “stations” around the classroom -- one sheet per group. On each sheet of chart paper, provide a statement the students can use to create similes. Some of the sample simile statements below include more information that others; some already include an adjective. But all the similes below include the as _____ as _____ format.

Assign each group to a station. Give students a few minutes to brainstorm similes that complete the statement on the chart at that station. Encourage students to be creative, funny, sad… Have students in the group decide on the best simile they could brainstorm. A member of the group should write that simile under the statement on the chart paper.

Then rotate students so each group moves to the next station. Repeat the activity. The group must come up with their best simile for that statement and record it on the chart paper; it should be different from the one written by the previous group of students.

Continue rotating the groups until each group has added a new simile to each chart.

Check for Understanding
Take time to share the results. Talk about some of the best similes. Ask students if they believe using similes in their writing might make their writing more interesting. After doing this exercise, most will agree that similes are a good tool for writing descriptively, vividly. You might point out that many similes contain the words as _____ as _____.

If you teach older students, you might mention that some similes take another format. The word like is often a sign of a simile when it is used to compare two unlike things. For example:

Guided Practice
Provide each student with a "Snowy Similes" booklet or have students create individual "Snowy Similes" booklets. (See a more detailed description in the Materials Needed section above.) Vary the number of pages in the booklet according to the age of the students you teach. Challenge students to write a different simile on each page of their booklets. If you teach older students, challenge them to come up with unique similes instead of the obvious ones. If you teach young students, you might provide some statements as sample prompts. For example:

Students might create and decorate a cover their booklets.

Assessment

As students are working on their “Snowy Similes” booklets, wander around the room assessing their knowledge of similes. Some students might still need a little help grasping the concept.

When students have completed their booklets, let them arrange themselves into their original groups so they can share their "Snowy Similes" with one another.

Close the lesson by completing the KWL chart and filling out the L (What We Learned) section of it.

Submitted By

Cindy Behnke, Gateway Pointe Elementary School in Higley, Arizona

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Copyright © 2007 Education World

12/04/2007