Snowy Similes

Subjects

• Language Arts
• Holidays

Grades

• 3-5
• 6-8

Brief Description

Groups of students move from station to station as they learn about and create similes. They learn how they can use similes to improve their writing.

Objectives

Students will

• define the term simile.
• write their own similes using the word as (and, optionally, like.)
• work cooperatively to think of creative similes.
• create a picture booklet that contains similes.

Keywords

simile, figurative language, descriptive writing, writing

Materials Needed

--- KWL chart
--- chart paper
--- "Snowy Similes" booklet, one per student. You might preassemble the booklet, especially if you teach younger students. The following resources might be adapted for use in the booklets:

• Snowflake Coloring Page
• Snowflake Writing Paper
• Snowflake Coloring Images from Google


• --- pencil
  --- markers
  --- KWL chart

  The Lesson

  Anticipatory Set
  You might start off this lesson by introducing to students a KWL chart. Students might create individual charts, or you might create a class chart. Record what students

• 1. Know about similes.
• 2. Want to know, learn, or find out about similes.
• 3. Learned about similes [after the lesson is taught].

  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 boys 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 _____.

  Explain that sometimes a good writer might describe the boy by writing a simile about him. For example, students might have heard expressions such as
• The boy is as quiet as a mouse.
• The boy is as tall as a house.
• The boy is as happy as a kid at Christmastime.
• The boys eyes are as brown as chocolate.
• The boy was so embarrassed that he turned as red as a beet.
  Those are similes. Similes compare the boy to something(s) else with which the reader might be familiar. That something else is often something very unlike the thing being described. For example, you might not ordinarily compare a boy to a house or a boys eyes to chocolate. But similes can help paint a more vivid picture than simply saying The boy is quiet. Similes can be used to make writing more descriptive and interesting.

  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.

• His temper is as _____ as _____.
• The cookies tasted as bad as _____.
• The tree is as _____ as _____.
• Her smile was as _____ as _____.
• The drink was as _____ as _____.
• She was as excited as _____.
• My father is as _____ as _____.
• The puppy was as _____ as _____.
• He was as busy as _____.

  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:

• He ran like a jaguar.
• Her blonde hair gleamed like a star in the sky.
• The eager boy acted like a puppy at dinnertime.
• The man charged through the crowd like a bulldozer.

  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:

• The snow was as soft as _____.
• The snow was as deep as _____.
• The snow was as white as _____.
• The snow was piled as high as _____.
• The snow was coming down as fast as _____.
• The snow was as light as _____.
• The snow was as cold as _____.
• The snow was as beautiful as _____.
  If you teach older students, you might include some similes that employ the word like. For example:
• The snow was coming down like _____.
• The snow-covered ground looked like _____.
• The sun made the snow sparkle like _____.

  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

  Education World®
  Copyright © 2007 Education World

  12/04/2007