Similes

"The Talking Eggs" by Robert San Souci is used to introduce and illustrate an author's use of language to paint a picture in the reader's mind. Students will draw a picture to show what this author meant, create similes to describe themselves, and finally use a simile in their next story in Writer's Workshop.

A lesson plan for grades 1–2 English Language Arts

By jennifer lettieri

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Related pages

• The Frog Prince: Compare and contrast: This lesson can be used with numerous pieces of literature, films, or sound material to develop viewing and listening skills and the students' ability to compare and contrast. One of the richest sources is in the area of fairy tales and folktales. This an especially good source if you can find a modernized version in recorded form to contrast with the more traditional written form. I have used the "Frog Prince" because of this factor and because it was part of the 4th grade language arts reading unit.
• Using extended similes to elaborate and add style: Students will analyze a series of extended similes, develop criteria for strong and weak extended similes, and begin using extended similes as a tool for elaboration in their own writing.
• Yarns, whoppers, and tall tales: The following lessons will introduce students to characteristics of tall tales and help them develop an appreciation of this genre of American fiction. They will practice writing summaries from information they have gathered and organized. They will plan and write their own tall tales.

Related topics

• Learn more about fairy tales, figurative language, folktales, language arts, literary devices, literature, read-alouds, and similes.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• draw a picture to show what the author meant by a particular simile.
• create similes to describe themselves.
• use a simile on their next story in Writer’s Workshop.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

• The Talking Eggs by Robert San Souci
• 6 quotes from the story that contain similes to give students as a handout (see supplemental handouts)
• “I’m As…” sheet
• plain & lined paper, crayons, pencils, etc.

Pre-activities

• Introduction: Tap students prior knowledge of fairy tales, specifically the element of repeated language. Reinforce that in all types of writing, writers use language in special ways. Reinforce that writers use words to paint a picture in the head of a reader.
• Pre-Reading: Set purpose for reading: Listen to this fairy tale and listen for how the author uses language to paint a picture in your head.

Activities

Reading

Read aloud The Talking Eggs by R. San Souci

Post-Reading Response

1. Ask students to summarize the story to check for comprehension.
2. Redirect students to their purpose for reading (to listen for how the author used language to paint a picture in their minds).
3. Tell students that the work that they will be learning about similes. Define simile for students as such:
   
   Using words such as “Like” or “As” to compare things or people we wouldn’t normally compare them to, in order to create an image in the mind of a reader.
4. Introduce quotations from the story written on the “I’m As…” worksheet. Talk about the first one with the whole class. Ask students what the author meant. Talk about how the author used language to paint that picture. Tell students that they now can draw that picture that the author drew in their head. Explain to students how to work in cooperative groups to complete the same task on the remainder of quotes.
5. Share students’ answers and pictures.
6. Brainstorm on the board, words for things that are: quiet, large, loud, lazy, slow, small quiet, busy.
7. Distribute and explain how to work on the “I’m As…” sheet to describe themselves.
8. Share students’ work.
9. Tell students that the work that they have done today has name for it - similes.
10. Tell students that in Writer’s Workshop, they will each get to choose a way to use at least one simile in their current/next story.

Closure

• Reinforce new vocabulary. Ask students to define in their own words “simile” (sample 3+ students).
• Ask students for examples of a simile.

Assessment

• Did students draw a picture that shows a reasonable explanation of what the author of “The Talking Eggs” meant?
• Did students choose words (similes) that demonstrated an understanding of what a simile is?
• Did students use a simile appropriately in his/her next story in Writer’s Workshop?

Supplemental information

Other books that use similes:

• Quick As A Cricket by Audrey Wood
• Jafta, Jafta’s Mother, and Jafta’s Father, all by Hugh Lewin

Comments

I usually use this lesson during my unit on Fairy Tales. This is not necessary; however, there is reference in this lesson to students’ prior knowledge of “repeated language” in Fairy Tales. So if you’re not doing fairy tales, tell or show your students that in fairy tales we often see repeated language.