1. Similes and Metaphors
Poetry

2. Review! Poetry Terms!! Topic? Theme? Imagery? Onomatopoeia?
Alliteration?
Warm UP: Quick Review with partners.

3. Similes!! What is a simile?
A comparison of two unlike items using “like” or “as”
Similes are often used as imagery—to paint a picture in your head by comparing two things.
Ask students to complete their poetry notes for similes and provide and example.

4. Examples?
Ask students to provide examples.

5. Is this a simile? The newborn was like a crying baby.
She like totally was mean to me yesterday.
NO. The statement must be comparing two unlike things. A newborn IS a crying baby.
NO. Simply using the word “like” does not make a sentence a simile.

6. “The Baseball Field” Mark Seraydarian
The stadium was silhouetted against the mountains
He walked in like a cat
Silence
The moonlight glittered on the turf
He glanced at the scoreboard
But the numbers were nothing but zeroes
He looked all around him
Everything was as empty as the universe
He looked at the big screen,
Imagining himself on it
He took out a ball and threw it around
Dreaming that he would play in a big league game
Imagining himself hitting a game-winning grand-slam
The crowd roaring like a tornado
The janitor picked up his broom
And the seats were empty again.
The stadium was silhouetted against the mountains
He walked in like a cat
Silence
The moonlight glittered on the turf
He glanced at the scoreboard
But the numbers were nothing but zeroes
He looked all around him
Everything was as empty as the universe
He looked at the big screen,
Imagining himself on it
He took out a ball and threw it around
Dreaming that he would play in a big league game
Imagining himself hitting a game-winning grand-slam
The crowd roaring like a tornado
The janitor picked up his broom
And the seats were empty again.
Read or have a student read through the poem, “The Baseball Field.” Ask students to identify the similes and describe what each means and the effect it has on the poem.

7. My head feels as soft as clay. A high-pitched piercing peal,
Fiery fury fills my day,
My head feels as soft as clay.
A high-pitched piercing peal,
Screaming, sensational yet surreal.
With partners, have students identify the simile, describe what it means, and describe the effect it has on the poem.

8. My mother is like an owl. She stays up late at night Waiting for me,
Spying on me,
Asking me
Who?
Who were you talking to?
Who else was there?
Who? Who?
And she knows all.
With partners, have students identify the simile, describe what it means, and describe the effect it has on the poem.

9. My mother is like braces.
Yes she is a pain to deal with –
But she straightens me out!
With partners, have students identify the simile, describe what it means, and describe the effect it has on the poem.

10. Metaphor
A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things NOT using like or as; stating that something IS another thing.
Examples:
My sister is a pit bull.
Ask students to return to their Poetry Notes. Define and discuss the definition of Metaphor. Students should provide an example on their chart.

11. How is a Metaphor different from a Simile?
My sister is like a pit bull.
My sister is a pit bull.
Jason was a beast on the basketball court.
Jason was as tough as a beast on the basketball court.
Which comparison is stronger? Simile? Or Metaphor?
Check for Understanding: Ensure students know the difference!

12. Examples of Metaphors?
Ask students to share examples.

13. Are these metaphors? My little brother is a crying baby.
School is a place of learning.
NO! They must be two seemingly unlike things!

14. Simile vs. Metaphor (Comparing things to one another)
Uses “like” or “as” to compare two things
The puppy’s teeth were as sharp as needles.
The runner was fast like a cheetah.
Metaphor
Make a comparison by stating that the object IS another thing.
The girl’s eyes were clear blue pools of water.
The thief was a slimy cockroach.
Image #1:
Image #2:

15. Simile or Metaphor? Jack is a tiger. Middle school is a nightmare.
Her brilliant white teeth shine like the sun.
School is a prison.
Homework is torture.
Books are like my friends.
Ogres are like onions. M S

16. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
What do they mean?
The best way to interpret similes and metaphors is to first, identify the two things being compared; and second, identify possible ways those two things are alike.

17. “Bat”
My son is a bat.
1) What are the two things being compared? (son, bat)
2) Ask students how a human boy might be like a flying rodent…

18. Bat
My son is a bat. His eyes blink when darkness comes. His body stirs with life. His limbs gorge with blood As he sets out through the cave of night His roof the stars The moon a big white eye watching Attracted by the false lights He mingles with his batty friends Weaving in an out of nightclubs Endless parties Each other’s places Till sensing the sudden ebb Of darkness He flutters homes A cloaked Dracula To the hollow of his room Where he will sleep all day.
What were the similarities?

19. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
Jack is a tiger.
What two things are being compared?
What does the comparison mean?
Guided Practice or Partner Practice

20. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
Middle school is a nightmare.
What two things are being compared?
What does the comparison mean?

21. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
Her teeth shine like the sun.
What two things are being compared?
What does the comparison mean?

22. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
School is a prison.
What two things are being compared?
What does the comparison mean?

23. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
Homework is torture.
What two things are being compared?
What does the comparison mean?

24. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
Books are like my friends.
What two things are being compared?
What does the comparison mean?

25. Interpreting Similes and Metaphors
Ogres are like onions.
What two things are being compared?
What does the comparison mean?