Handout Read the text and take notes. Afterwards discuss what have you learned in your telegram groups

PRESENTATION

Step 1 – Introducing the concept of descriptive language and comparisons.
Technique: brainstorming – Interactive patterns: T-S; SSS (group work) – Time: 5 mins.

T writes the following words on the board and asks students in groups to brainstorm adjectives that describe the words.

pie cat kitten

Step 2 – Feedback and elicitation of the concept of descriptive language:
Technique: elicitation and discussion – Interactive patterns: T-S – Time: 5 mins.

Each group presents their adjectives to the rest of the class. Then T encourages a discussion on the function of adjectives and how they are used to describe nouns. T asks if those nouns can be compared: Are there any adjectives in the lists that can describe a cat the same way as a kitten? The concept of comparisons and how adjectives can be used to compare people or things is elicited from the students.

Step 3- Presenting the concept of similes through reading comprehension

Technique: skim reading – Interactive patterns: T-S; S (individual); SS (pair work) – Time: 10 mins.

Part A:
T tells Ss they are going to read a story, and while they read it they have to focus on the following:
• underl

ine the words they have described in the previous step (cat, pie and kitten)

T reminds Ss to read the text fast (skim through it) and that it is not necessary to focus on unknown words at this point. T checks answer.

Part B:
T asks students to look at the text again and find the phrases that contain the words pie, cat, and kitten. T elicits the answers and writes them on the board.

as sweet as pie – as happy as a cat with two tails – as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs – as playfully as a kitten

T asks students what they think these phrases are (possible answers: descriptive phrases, comparative phrases), what they have in common (as…as), and if they know what they are called. T introduces the word simile and explains what a simile is (a way of describing an image so that the listener or reader can get a mental picture of what one is describing; it is a kind of comparison) and how it is formed (similes are comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’; note that the similes in this text all follow the following structure: as + adjective + as to describe nouns, or as + adverb + as, to describe action verbs.)

PRACTICE

Step 4 – Guessing the meaning of similes in context

Technique: scan reading through discussion and guessing the meaning of the phrases – Interactive patterns: SS (pair work); SSS (group work) – Time: 15 mins.

T explains that there are more similes in the story they have just read. Students have to read the story, identify all the similes and discuss with their partners what they think the phrases mean. Then, they have to present their ideas to the class.
as mad as a hatter
as different as chalk and cheese
as sweet as pie
as happy as a cat with two tails
as bold as brass
as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
as white as a sheet
as fast as greased lightning
as cool as a cucumber
as quiet as a mouse
as pleased as punch
as playfully as a kitten
as helpless as a baby

As an optional activity, the students can scan read again and identify which words in the text are being compared or being referred to. For example,

as different as chalk and cheese is comparing Daniela and Jeffrey; as playfully as a kitten is comparing the way the bear cuffed Jeffrey across the head to a kitten doing the same in a playful way. Thus, the word ‘playfully’ is an adverb, describing a verb.

Step 5 – Understanding the story

Technique: scan reading through questions- Interactive patterns: S (individual); SS (pair work) – Time: 15 mins

T asks students to read the story and answer the following questions individually. Then, they can compare their answers to their partners’.

1- What did the writer mean by “take everything she says with a grain of salt”?
2- What did the writer mean by “And wouldn’t you know it, as sure as God made little green apples…”?
3- How did Daniela react when she saw the bear?
4- How did Jeffrey react?
5- What did the bear do?

The students present their answers to the whole class. T checks comprehension and corrects mistakes if necessary.

PRODUCTION

Step 6– Speaking about similes in other languages

Technique: discussion – Interactive patterns: SSS (group work) – Time: 10 mins.

T groups the students and asks them to discuss if they know of any similes in their own language and if there are some similarities with the similes they have learned in this lesson.

Step 7– Listening a song

Technique: listening individually and finding the vocabulary items – Time: 10 mins.

T distributes the handout of lyrics “Everything at once” by Lenka and asks ss to fill in the blanks with appropriate similes.

Step 8 – Writing (We can give it as Homework)

Technique: Collaborative writing – Interactive patterns: SSS (group work) – Time: 10-15 mins.

Students in groups have to write a story using the similes they have learned in this lesson or any others that they may know. They can also look for more similes if they need them for their writing. Here is a good link for a list of similes phrases.org.uk/meanings/36400.html

Each group reads their stories to the class. They can compare their stories and identify how many new similes each group has used.

Alternative:

Students read Handout 3 about the usage of similes in everyday life, in poetry etc and analyze sample similes given in Handout 4 through the context

Vocabulary Lesson Plan Handouts

Handout 1. Reading text.

My friend Daniela told me the most incredible story last week. Of course, she’s as mad as a hatter, so you have to take everything she says with a grain of salt. Now, the first thing you need to know is that she and her boyfriend Jeffrey are as different as chalk and cheese. He’s as sweet as pie, and she’s as happy as a cat with two tails to be with him. They were hiking in a national park when they suddenly came across a bear standing in their path as bold as brass.

As Daniela was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, it’s not surprising that she turned as white as a sheet and ran off as fast as greased lightning. Jeffrey, however, remained as cool as a cucumber, and just stood there on the path as quiet as a mouse. And wouldn’t you know it, as sure as God made little green apples, the bear slowly walked up to him. Jeffrey was as pleased as punch that the bear only sniffed him a bit, cuffed him hard across the head as playfully as a kitten, and ambled off. Jeffrey had been as helpless as a baby in the situation, but luckily he survived.

Handout 2. Lenka “Everything at once”

Match. Do you know these animals?

bee ox toad hare bear whale bird mouse wolf fox tiger
__________	__________	__________	__________	__________	________
__________	__________	__________	__________	_____________

Listen to the song, “Everything at Once” and fill in the blanks.

Listen to the song, “Everything at Once” and fill in the blanks.

As sly as a ________, as strong as an _______
As fast as a ________, as brave as a ________
As free as a ________, as neat as a word
As quiet as a ________, as big as a house

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh

All I wanna be is everything

As mean as a ________, as sharp as a tooth

As deep as a bite, as dark as the night
As sweet as a song, as right as a wrong
As long as a road, as ugly as a ________

As pretty as a picture hanging from a fixture

Strong like a family, strong as I wanna be
Bright as day, as light as play
As hard as nails, as grand as a ________

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh

All I wanna be is everything everything at once

As warm as the, the sun, as silly as fun

As cool as a tree, as scary as the sea
As hot as fire, cold as ice
Sweet as sugar and everything nice

As old as time, as straight as a line

As royal as a queen, as buzzed as a ________
Stealth as a ________, smooth as a glider
Pure as a melody, pure as I wanna be

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh

All I wanna be is everything at once

As sly as a ________, as strong as an _______

As fast as a ________, as brave as a ________
As free as a ________, as neat as a word
As quiet as a ________, as big as a house

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh

All I wanna be is everything

As mean as a ________, as sharp as a tooth

As deep as a bite, as dark as the night
As sweet as a song, as right as a wrong
As long as a road, as ugly as a ________

As pretty as a picture hanging from a fixture

Strong like a family, strong as I wanna be
Bright as day, as light as play
As hard as nails, as grand as a ________

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh

All I wanna be is everything everything at once

As warm as the, the sun, as silly as fun

As cool as a tree, as scary as the sea
As hot as fire, cold as ice
Sweet as sugar and everything nice

As old as time, as straight as a line

As royal as a queen, as buzzed as a ________
Stealth as a ________, smooth as a glider
Pure as a melody, pure as I wanna be

All I wanna be, all I wanna be, oh

All I wanna be is everything at once

Handout 3. Read the use of similes in different contexts.

Similes in Everyday Language

Similes are used in literature to make writing more vivid and powerful. In everyday speech, they can be used to convey meaning quickly and effectively, as many commonly used expressions or idioms are similes.

For example, when someone says "He is as busy as a bee," it means he is working hard, as bees are known to be extremely busy. If someone says "I am as snug as a bug in a rug," they mean that they feel very comfortable and cozy or are tucked up tight in bed.

Some other well-known similes you will often hear are:

• 
  As cute as a kitten
  
• 
  As happy as a clam
  
• 
  As light as a feather
  
• 
  As blind as a bat
  
• 
  As bold as brass
  
• 
  As bright as a button
  
• 
  As shiny as a new pin
  
• 
  As cold as ice
  
• 
  As common as dirt
  
• 
  As cool as a cucumber
  
• 
  As hard as nails
  
• 
  As hot as hell
  
• 
  As innocent as a lamb
  
• 
  As tall as a giraffe
  
• 
  As tough as nails
  
• 
  As white as a ghost
  
• 
  As sweet as sugar
  
• 
  As black as coal
  

As with a lot of figurative language, when talking to someone from another region or someone not speaking in their native language they might not get the meaning of many similes.

Similes Add Depth to Writing

Similes can make our language more descriptive and enjoyable. Writers, poets, and songwriters make use of similes often to add depth and emphasize what they are trying to convey to the reader or listener. Similes can be funny, serious, mean, or creative.

Following are some more examples of similes regularly used in writing:

• 
  You were as brave as a lion.
  
• 
  They fought like cats and dogs.
  
• 
  He is as funny as a barrel of monkeys.
  
• 
  This house is as clean as a whistle.
  
• 
  He is as strong as an ox.
  
• 
  Your explanation is as clear as mud.
  
• 
  Watching the show was like watching grass grow.
  
• 
  That is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.
  
• 
  This contract is as solid as the ground we stand on.
  
• 
  That guy is as nutty as a fruitcake.
  
• 
  Don't just sit there like a bump on a log.
  
• 
  Well, that went over like a lead balloon.
  
• 
  They are as different as night and day.
  
• 
  She is as thin as a rake.
  
• 
  Last night, I slept like a log.
  
• 
  This dress is perfect because it fits like a glove.
  
• 
  They wore jeans, which made me stand out like a sore thumb.
  
• 
  My love for you is as deep as the ocean.
  
• 
  I am so thirsty that my throat is as dry as a bone.
  

Similes in Classic Literature

Examples of similes can be seen in classic literature, such as in the poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns:

"O my Luve is like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June; O my Luve is like the melodyThat's sweetly played in tune."

Another example of a simile can be found in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. When Romeo talks to Mercutio before the Capulets' party, he makes the following comparison about love:

"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn."

Handout 4. Read the statements below and analyze the use of similes in every context. Try to translate them in your native language.

Simile Examples for Advanced Readers

Remember: a simile is a comparison between two different things using like or as to make the comparison.

1. 
   I dream of silent verses where the rhyme glides noiseless as an oar.
   
2. 
   Though they knew it not, their baby’s cries were lovely as jeweled butterflies.
   
3. 
   He kissed her as though he were trying to win a sword fight.
   
4. 
   The paparazzi circled like vultures above a tottering camel.
   
5. 
   She was as distant as a remote tropical island, uncivilized, unspoiled.
   
6. 
   Our hearts, though stout and brave, still, like muffled drums, are beating funeral marches to the grave.
   
7. 
   He had hidden his wealth, heaped and hoarded and piled on high like sacks of wheat in a granary.
   
8. 
   Pieces of silver and of gold / Into the tinkling strong-box fell / Like pebbles dropped into a well;
   
9. 
   The cabin windows have grown blank as eyeballs of the dead.
   
10. 
    What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
    
11. 
    Each face was like the setting sun, / As, broad and red.
    
12. 
    Barefooted, ragged, with neglected hair, she was a thin slip of a girl, like a new moon.
    
13. 
    A fatal letter wings its way across the sea, like a bird of prey.
    
14. 
    I will sing a slumberous refrain, and you shall murmur like a child appeased.
    
15. 
    For she knows me! My heart, clear as a crystal beam / To her alone, ceases to be inscrutable.
    
16. 
    Leaf-strewing gales utter low wails like violins,
    
17. 
    He spit out his teeth like stones.
    
18. 
    Talk of your cold: through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
    
19. 
    Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh.
    
20. 
    Like winged stars the fire-flies flash and glance, / Pale in the open moonshine.
    
21. 
    The breath of her false mouth was like faint flowers, / Her touch was as electric poison.
    
22. 
    Then, as a hunted deer that could not flee, I turned upon my thoughts and stood at bay, wounded and weak and panting;
    
23. 
    There are thick woods where many a fountain, rivulet, and pond are as clear as elemental diamond.
    
24. 
    Years heap their withered hours, like leaves, on our decay.
    
25. 
    The ripples wimple on the rills, like sparkling little lasses.
    
26. 
    She was like a modest flower blown in sunny June and warm as sun at noon’s high hour.
    
27. 
    And the face of the waters that spread away / Was as gray as the face of the dead.
    
28. 
    As in depths of many seas, my heart was drowned in memories.
    
29. 
    Then like a cold wave on a shore, comes silence and she sings no more.
    
30. 
    And shout thy loud battle-cry, cleaving the silence like a sword.
    
31. 
    My soul is lost and tossed like a ship unruddered in a shoreless sea.
    
32. 
    The clouds like crowds of snowy-hued and white-robed maidens pass
    
33. 
    Dreams, like ghosts, must hide away; / ‘Tis the day.
    
34. 
    The evening stretches before me like a road.
    
35. 
    I would have hours that move like a glitter of dancers.
    
36. 
    Toby manipulated the people in his life as though they were chess pieces.
    
37. 
    And only to think that my soul could not react, but turned on itself like a tortured snake.
    
38. 
    There are strange birds like blots against a sky.
    
39. 
    She goes all so softly like a shadow on the hill, a faint wind at twilight.
    
40. 
    The horse-chestnuts dropped their buds like tears.
    
41. 
    They walk in awful splendor, regal yet, wearing their crimes like rich and kingly capes.
    
42. 
    Death is like moonlight in a lofty wood that pours pale magic through the shadowy leaves.
    
43. 
    I was sick of all the sorrow and distress that flourished in the City like foul weeds.
    
44. 
    As I read it in the white, morning sunlight, the letters squirmed like snakes.
    
45. 
    Oh, praise me not the silent folk; / To me they only seem / Like leafless, bird-abandoned oak.
    
46. 
    The windflowers and the lilies were yellow striped as adder’s tongue.
    
47. 
    I have seen old ships sail like swans asleep.
    
48. 
    For the world’s events have rumbled on since those days like traffic.
    
49. 
    And dance as dust before the sun, light of foot and unconfined.
    
50. 
    The fishes skim like umber shades through the undulating weeds.
    
51. 
    Gather up the undiscovered universe like jewels in a jasper cup.