Similes

 Quick as a Cricket By Audrey Wood

Grades K-3

Quick as a Cricket is a fantastic book if you're teaching children how to write similes, but it is also a wonderful stand-alone read aloud about how we all have different moods and can feel one way one day and completely different on another. Don Wood's illustrations make this story even more special; he is so gifted.

Lesson Seed: Use the worksheet below, or create a similar one yourself in order for your students to make their own similes. This one is from www.smileplaylearn.com and I think it's awesome! Another idea if you're reading this book to younger children is to allow them to act out each animal in the book as you read it. That will make for a much more boisterous storytime, but if the students are having fun that's what it's all about!

My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil By Hanoch Piven

Grades K-4

I can't write a posting about similes and leave My best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil off the list. Not only does this book use tons of similes like my teacher is "as relaxed as my favorite pair of jeans", but the whole book uses objects like marbles, candies, crayons, bells and rubber bands to make collage portraits. 

Lesson Seed: Have students make their own portrait collages using photographs of everyday objects cut out of magazines. The objects they cut out should represent things about themselves. For instance a baseball and a tennis ball forming the eyes of a sports lover. I think this would be a fabulous getting to know you lesson for September with 3rd or 4th graders. It's like making their own personal Mr. Potato Heads!