Students explore similes, metaphors, idioms, and personification — the colorful tricks writers use to paint pictures with words and make writing come alive.
Students will be able to…
When someone says “it’s raining cats and dogs,” no pets fall from the sky. So why do writers say things they don’t literally mean?
Project this and tap each type of figurative language. Have students record what it does and try to think of their own example.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
Take a saying literally — why is it funny?
Teacher teaches the types.
Class practices.
Students write figuratively.
Students share their favorites.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances.
Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors in context.
Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms.
Determine the meaning of words and phrases, including those that allude or figurative.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students pick idioms, draw the funny literal meaning on one side and write the real meaning on the other. A printable idiom-book template is in the ELA library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.