Similes

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

What do the following sentences have in common? “Your hair is golden like the sun.” “His teeth shined like the North Star.” “He came in as quiet as a mouse.” “She was as sweet as pie!”

All of those sentences compare a quality or characteristic of a person to an object.

More specifically, those sentences compared two things using the words like and as. Look back at the sentences and point to where the words like and as are used in each sentence.

The literary feature that compares two things using the words like or as is called a simile. Have you heard that word before?

Let’s listen to this catchy Simile Song Video from havefunteaching.com. Follow along with the song, then listen after the song ends (1:48) to hear what each simile means.

Playing this Matching Similes Game from EnglishClub.com will help you learn more about similes. Read the description at the top of the website, then play "Matching Similes Game 8" first. If you need an easier one, go down, and if you want a harder game, go to the next level. Play at least 3 games.

Why do you think authors use similes? They use them to add depth and more detail to their stories. Books with similes and other figurative language are more interesting to read because they are more picturesque (make mental images).

If similes make books more interesting, don’t you think restaurant menus should have similes as well? Now, you are going to get to make one! Before you make the menu, use this next activity to help brainstorm some food similes you could use.

Using the nouns listed below, create an adjective to make a simile. For example: The eggs are as yellow as the sun. Write each simile on a piece of paper and share them with your teacher when you are finished.