Similes are one of the important poetic devices that students need to know on most reading achievement tests. In addition, a simile is pretty easy to learn and to write. This poetry technique is a great one to start with when planning a poem unit.
Preparation for Lesson on Similes
First, know and be able to teach basics of similes. A simile is a comparison of two things using like or as.
Example: Charlie was like walking calculator with his quick math skills.
Next, find poetry that has good examples of similes.
There are many poems now in the public domain. This means that this poetry no longer has a copyright and can be used for any purpose. The Public Domain Poetry website offers 32,222 poems and counting. Poems can be searched by title or by the author’s name.
A few poems with similes to use as examples in this lesson on the website are “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns, “Golden Glories” by Christina Georgina Rossetti, and “By the Stream” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. There are, of course, many more poems that can be found on this website that include similes.
Finally, design handouts for the students that explain similes and offer practice.
Example Items for Simile Handout
Directions: Students need to identify if each line is a simile. If the line is not a simile, students need to turn it into one.
- The zit on Sara’s nose glowed in the dark.
- Matt’s belly was as giggly as gelatin.
- The cracked cup leaked like a sinking ship.
- The dust on the table was an inch thick.
- The firecracker sounded like a stick of dynamite exploding.
- Her bracelet sparkled like a disco ball.
- The walls whispered their secrets to me.
- Henry loved peanut butter more than chocolate.
- Harriet’s love for chocolate was as strong as her love for her new puppy.
- Ben’s shoes smelled worse than the garbage dump.
Teaching the Simile Lesson
Teachers can use the following steps to teach similes to the students:
- Discuss the definition of a simile.
- Read three-to-five poems that have great examples of similes to the class. Point out the similes and discuss what they mean.
- Give the hand out on similes to the students. When they have completed the handout, go over the answers.
- Ask students to write five random similes on topics they in which they have an interest.
- Request that students share their best similes with the class. Some will be funny. Prizes can be given for the best ones.
- Direct students to try to write a six line poem using at least one simile in it. They can “recycle” one that they wrote in step four.
Similes are a poetic device that students generally enjoy writing. Start with this energizing lesson on similes and move to the more difficult poetic devices.
Other relevant articles: Alliteration Lesson, Free Verse Poems Lesson, & Theme Poem Project,
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