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will explain the meaning of similes (figurative language that compares two unlike objects by using the words “like,” “as,” or “than”). A simile is a phrase or statement that compares two different things by using the words “like” or “as.” Authors may use similes to put clear images into a reader’s head. I will give three examples of similes. I will identify the things being compared and the similes’ meaning. (You may use the “Examples of Similes” handout in Texts & Materials to present these examples.) Examples: “The snow is like a blanket.” “The bread is as hard as nails.” “The riverbed is as dry as a bone.” I will read the passage “The Surprise Party” (included in Texts & Materials) 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. The author writes that “Grace has a mouth as big as a bus.” We know that statement is a simile because it uses the word “as” to make a comparison. What does the simile mean? We know Grace’s mouth isn’t really as big as a bus because that is impossible. Buses are too big. When people say someone “has a big mouth,” it means that person talks about things that are supposed to be kept secret. The author must mean that Grace is someone who tells secrets.

Ask: How did I identify a simile in the story, and how did I figure out the simile’s 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 the story “Lightning Strike.” Note: There are several similes in the story. Challenge students to identify them as you reread the text aloud. For each simile, ask students what is being compared. Then ask what the meaning of the simile is. Here are some examples of similes in the story:

- Alex leapt out of the car like an antelope.

- The words hit Alex like hailstones, angering him further.

- At the end of the lane, the ball hit the pins with the sound of a thunderclap. They flew apart like startled geese.

will identify similes in the short passage in the "Similes" worksheet, what they compare, and their meaning. (The worksheet is included in Texts & Materials.)