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will explain the meaning of similes (figurative language that compares two unlike objects by using the words “like,” “than,” or “as”). Authors use similes to compare two things in an interesting way that puts a clearer image in the reader’s head. I will give examples of similes and identify the objects being compared and their meaning. Examples: “The snow is like a blanket.” “The bread is as hard as nails.” “The river is as dry as a bone.” I will read the passage “The Surprise Party” (included in Books and Passages) aloud. I will identify the similes in the passage and explain their meaning. For example, in the first sentence the author compares Grace’s mouth to a bus. She uses the word “as” to compare them. We know Grace’s mouth isn’t really as big as a bus because that is impossible. Buses are too big. The author must be trying to tell us that Grace has a big mouth, which is something people say when someone talks too much.

Ask: How did I identify a simile in the story and how did I know the real meaning? Students should respond that you used words such as "like" and "as" to help you find a sentence that compares two things. Then you thought about the comparison and what meaning the author was trying to give the reader.

will read If You Hopped Like a Frog by David M. Schwartz. We will chart the similes in the book, as well as what the similes compare and their meaning.

will identify similes in the passage, what they compare and their meaning. (Student Independent Practice is provided below in Teacher and Student Materials.)