Fact and opinion
A fact is something that can be checked and proved true or false. An opinion is what someone thinks or feels, and other people may disagree.
English · Ages 9–11 · 60 minutes
Similes and metaphors
Children identify similes and metaphors in a text, explain the effect of a comparison on the reader, and write fresh comparisons of their own.
Success criteria
- I can tell a simile from a metaphor
- I can explain what a comparison makes the reader think or feel
- I can write an original simile and metaphor
Key vocabulary
- simile
- metaphor
- comparison
- figurative
- literal
- cliché
- effect
You will need
- a bag of everyday objects
- the story Grandad's Radio
- highlighters in two colours
- sticky notes
Curriculum links
- Year 5· England
- Grade 4· United States
Practice sheets
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The Tiny Seed
Grandad’s Radio
The Sea in the Desert
1.Starter
7 minutesFinish the comparison: say the openings and let children call out endings.
"As cold as..." ice. "As busy as a..." bee. "He ran like..." the wind.
"You all knew those. Why?" We've heard them lots. "Exactly. They've been used so often they've gone stale. They're called clichés. Today we're learning what these comparisons are, why writers use them, and how to make fresh ones."
2.Teach
15 minutes"A simile compares two different things using like or as: The fog was like a grey blanket."
"A metaphor says one thing is another, without like or as: The fog was a grey blanket."
"Neither is literally true. The fog isn't a blanket. That's what makes it figurative language. The writer wants you to see or feel something."
Read the opening of Grandad's Radio aloud, then display these lines:
- A good fixer is like a detective.
- Tamika peered inside at a little city of wires, coils and tiny coloured parts.
- a singer with a voice like warm honey
Model the thinking for the honey simile:
"What's honey like? Sweet, smooth, golden, warm, comforting. So the singer's voice is... smooth and sweet and comforting. In six words the author tells us a lot, and makes us feel how Grandad feels."
Ask pairs to do the same for "a little city of wires". Is it a simile or a metaphor? (A metaphor: there's no like.) What does city make you picture? Lots of parts, busy, organised, too many to count.
