Students’ age range: 12-14

Topic: Metaphor and Simile

 

Description: Engagement.
Students will be asked to share with a partner the definition of metaphors and tell their partner an example of a metaphor they have read lately or heard before. Students should turn and talk. Teacher will allow a few partnerships to share out their responses. Students will be reminded that, a simile is also a comparison between two things but similes use the words “like’ or “as”. Selected students will be asked to share out their responses.
Explore:
Students will be informed that poets use figurative language to help us create images in our mind as we read. Students will listen as the reads a poem; they will also be instructed to paying close attention to the metaphors and similes as they create pictures in their minds.
Teacher will place the poem, Butterflies on the whiteboard.

Butterflies are as light as feathers
They a paper bags floating in the air
And are as beautiful as dancing spirits
I think they are small stars in the sky.
Sometimes they are as blue as tear drops
I bet they love flowers swaying in the breeze
Butterflies are so cool!
Students will listen as the teacher reads aloud the first two lines of the poem
Explain:
Teacher will inform students that as she was reading the first two lines, she noticed both a metaphor and simile. The first line, butterflies are as light as feathers, is an example of a simile. The author is comparing the butterfly to a feather. I can see in my head a feather floating in the breeze; this helps me image a light butterfly floating in the air as well.
The second sentence is an example of a metaphor. Once again the author is comparing the butterfly to something that is light floating on the air, but this time a paper bag. This creates a very different image in your head. The feather is very peaceful while the paper bag makes me thing of litter or trash blowing in the wind. Students will be asked did you notice, how with each of the examples I stopped to determine if the line was a metaphor or simile then created a mental image of the comparison.
Elaborate:
Students will listen as teacher reads aloud the next two lines of the poem. Students will be asked to tell their partner which metaphors or similes are present in those lines. Students will discuss.
Selected students will be asked to share their responses.
Students are expected to respond that line 3 is an example of a simile and line 4 is an example of a metaphor.
Students will be reminded that each time they read a poem; they must pay close attention to the metaphors and similes to create mental images.