Lessons & Units :: Figurative Language 3rd Grade Unit

Lesson 3: Poetry

Lesson Plan

Learning Goal
Identify and describe similes and metaphors in poetry.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Example Chart for Direct Teaching, "The Pilot" Poem, "My Favorite Day" Poem, Independent Practice Worksheet
Not Provided: chart paper, markers

  • Teacher Modeling

    will review the difference between similes and metaphors (from the previous lessons). For example, both similes and metaphors compare two things. Similes use the words “as”, “like” or “than” and metaphors do not. “Kate is like a baby” is a simile, because Kate is being compared to a baby using “like.” “Kate is a baby” is a metaphor because Kate is still being compared to a baby, but without using the word “like.” I will read the poem “My Favorite Day” (poem is provided in Books and Passages) from chart paper and underline the similes and circle the metaphors. (See Direct Teaching Example Chart in Teacher and Student Materials below.)

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I distinguish between similes and metaphors? Students should respond that similes use words such as "like" and "as" but metaphors do not, although both compare two of something.

  • Guided Practice

    will read “The Pilot” (poem is provided in Books and Passages) aloud and identify the similes and metaphors in the poem, and discuss what is being compared.

  • Independent Practice

    will read a poem and identify two similes and two metaphors in the poem and explain their meanings. (Student Independent Practice is provided below.) Note: You will need to write the poems on chart paper or copy each of the poems for students before the lesson for (the We section of) the lesson.

Build Student Vocabulary sap

Tier 2 Word: sap
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story “My favorite day is Sunday Lazy, sleepy, do nothing fun day. I yawn like a lion before a nap My arms and legs and toes are sap.”
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) Sap is a liquid that moves through plants that carries food and water from one part of the plant to another. When the speaker in the poem said that his legs and toes are sap, he meant that his arms and legs felt like liquid because he was lazy and sleepy.
Students repeat the word Say the word sap with me: sap.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts My legs felt like sap after riding in the car for many hours. When I stood in line for the ride, my legs began to feel like sap.
Students provide examples Has your body ever felt like sap? Tell me about it by saying, “My body felt like sap when _______________________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? sap
Additional Vocabulary Words burst, lazy

Build Student Background Knowledge

After reading “The Pilot,” explain that a flying fish is real fish. Explain that this fish does not actually fly; it glides. As it leaps out of the water, the fish spreads its wing-like fins to glide through the air. It usually does this to escape large sea predators, such as swordfish and tuna. Flying fish prefer warm waters of tropical climates, such as in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Show where these oceans are located on a map.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

Thanks for offering these poems.

Submitted by pcarrion_2340904 on 1/25/17

Excellent Resources!!

Submitted by emedina_1332374 on 12/12/16

How awesome!

Submitted by tsimpson on 9/10/15

Thank you!

Submitted by mbuentello_1471656 on 6/24/15

I really appreciate your taking the time to organize this unit! Plan to share with my entire 3rd grade team!! Thanks so much!!

Submitted by akcbates on 4/29/15

Thank you for providing such a wonderful resource. I'm sure my students will enjoy these poems.

Submitted by imsummers60 on 4/12/15

Thank you for providing such a great resource in a format that is easy to use!

Submitted by ahanno on 2/12/15

These poems are great. They are not long for my students and provided ample practice for my kidsm

Submitted by MJones04 on 2/5/15

These are great poems and I can't wait to use them to teach so many concepts-not just figurative language-but inference as well. Thanks

Submitted by Julie Scott on 1/13/14