Alabama ELA Standard: 5.LF.12.a

A river that chases, chuckles, and grips things with a gurgle. Your students will see how a writer turns plain water into a living creature, then try it themselves on fire, snow, or traffic.

Let’s make this simile about a strong uncle even more specific.

Start with a basic simile. Now make it more specific. Now even more. Watch how much better writing gets with each round.

Let’s make this simile about a quick baby even more specific.

Start with a basic simile. Now make it more specific. Now even more. Watch how much better writing gets with each round.

Look closely at Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.

Look closely at Impression, Sunrise. What do you notice? Now turn those details into a poem you didn’t know you could write.

Two sets of idioms related to numbers.

Five sets of idioms related to birds (and bugs).

Five sets of five idioms, all related to body parts!

Five sets of five idioms, all related to food.

Let’s start with “As cold as fire.”

What if we started a sentence with the simile?

Your students will turn the iconic painting The Scream into a vivid, sensory poem.

When students learn about alliteration, it’s hard to steer them away from goofy tongue-twisters. Certainly, there must be more powerful and practical ways of using alliteration. In this lesson, I draw on delicious examples from Shakespeare to show how a very advanced writer used alliteration. Then, I break those ideas down so students can try them out.

Can students spot similes vs metaphors?

Why do we say ‘break a leg’? Five themed sets of idioms your students will actually remember.

Ready to push kids beyond the boring, old ABAB rhyme scheme and into something a bit more complex?

We’ll start with the cliché “as cold as ice” and go somewhere much more interesting.