Simile Fun!

Similes are a fun lesson when teaching about different types of figurative language.

I love teaching about similes with third grade. They are old enough to understand the abstract thought and can appreciate the humor in the double meanings.

An epic way to describe a funny situation when taken literally, there are many examples of books, anchor charts, and other learning aids to use for instruction.

Similes are a fun lesson when teaching about different types of figurative language. I love teaching about similes with third grade students.

What is a simile?

The official definition of a simile is a noun that means: “a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid.”

Using speech that expresses multiple meanings will strengthen students’ writing skills.

Plus, it’s just fun to say “busy as a bee” or “fast like a cheetah.”

Of course there are lots of different options for spicing up their writing prompts, using personification, metaphors, and others too!

When students are able create sentences that include some depth, then you are really able to see how good their writing can become.

List of simile examples

Black as coal
Cold as ice
Like a dream
Blind as a bat
Eat like a bird
Clean as a whistle
Like fingernails on a chalkboard
Clear as mud
Flat as a pancake
White as snow
Free as a bird
Sleep like a log
Sweet as pie
Hungry as a bear
Light as a feather
Proud as a peacock
Quick as lightning
Fight like cats and dogs
Good as gold
Sick as a dog
Easy as ABC
Like two peas in a pod
Straight as an arrow
Wise as an owl

As far as teaching similes, I don’t think you’ll find a better mentor text than My Dog Is as Smelly as Dirty Socks by Hanoch Piven.

After explaining to students that a simile is made when you use like or as to make a comparison, share this book to drive the point home. Afterward, allow students to create their own simile-collage of themselves, a pet, or family member, using magazine pictures, crayons or markers, and their own words.

First, have students write 5 words that describe their subject. Then, let them peruse magazines and catalogs, looking for examples of the things in their description. They won’t be able to find all the words they want, since they will be limited to the pictures in the magazines they have, but they should be able to find some things they can use. If they find a picture that makes them think if a better simile, let them make a change.

Reading and Language Arts Power Pack

11 reading and language arts resource sets that pack a punch!

This power pack includes the following 11 files:

Beach Activities Pack (K-6)
Chapter Book Reading Strategies Activities (grades 3-8)
Chrysanthemum Reading Packet (grades 2-4)
Contraction Packet (grades 1-3)
DI Spelling Menus Packet (grade 2+)
Never Ride Your Elephant to School Activities (grades 2-4)
Reading Bingo (grades 2-8)
Space Theme Reading Logs (grades 2-5)
Fiction and Nonfiction Story Maps (grades 2-6)
Vocabulary Bingo (grades 3+)
Writing Menu (grades 3+)

See more details HERE.

Here’s my Simile Me:

I’m as busy as a timer,
As creative as a stained glass window,
As hardworking as an elephant,
As happy as a well-loved dog,
And as sleepy as a pillow.

The results will be fun and hilarious, creating a lesson your students will not soon forget. In the future, encourage them to use simile (perhaps in a more serious way) in their writing. Have fun!