As Bright as the Sun: Similes and Metaphors

About This Resource

A complete Grade 5 ESL lesson pack on similes and metaphors: comparing two different things, similes with like and as, metaphors that say something is something else, common English similes (as busy as a bee, as cold as ice), explaining what a comparison really means, finding figurative language in a poem, and writing original similes and metaphors. Includes slides, a timed lesson plan, flashcards, worksheet, quiz, homework, rubric and answer key.

Overview

Students learn that writers compare two different things to create a strong picture in the reader's mind. A simile uses like or as (Her smile was as bright as the sun), while a metaphor says one thing is another (The classroom was a zoo). Students sort comparisons, complete common English similes, explain what each comparison really means, find similes and metaphors in an original poem, turn similes into metaphors and finish by writing their own comparisons to describe a person, a place and a feeling.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Similes and Metaphors
Category: Reading
File Type: PDF
File Size: 342.9 KB
Published: 04 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 5 (ages 10–11), intermediate ESL 50 minutes Reading vocabulary figurative language creative writing speaking

Learning Objectives

Identify similes and metaphors and explain the difference.
Explain the meaning behind a simile or metaphor.
Write original similes and metaphors to make descriptions vivid.

How to Use This Resource

Start with slide 1: ask, "What does it mean if someone says, 'My brother is as slow as a snail'?"
Teach similes, metaphors and how to explain their meaning with the slides, checking each step with the matching worksheet activity.
Students complete the worksheet, then use the quiz to check and the homework poem. Answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Simile charades: a student acts out a simile (as quiet as a mouse) and the class guesses it.
Comparison chain: one student says a noun; the next makes a simile with it; the next turns it into a metaphor.
Picture it: students draw the literal meaning of a metaphor (Dad is a bear in the morning) and then write its real meaning.

Differentiation

Support: give a bank of common similes with pictures and sentence frames (___ is as ___ as ___). Challenge: find similes and metaphors in a song or story, and write a short paragraph with an extended metaphor.

Assessment

Worksheet activities and the quiz check identifying and explaining comparisons (answer key included). The original similes, metaphors and homework poem are checked with the rubric.

Teacher Tips

Teach the two-step check: first, are two different things being compared? Second, is there like or as? If yes, it is a simile; if there is no like or as, it is a metaphor. Always ask students what the comparison tells us, not just what type it is.

What's Included

11-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (6 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 6 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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