Using Mentor Texts to Teach Similes in Writing
Similes Add Style to Middle School Writing
Similes and metaphors might be my favorite figurative language skills to teach because once students notice what they are, they find them everywhere in fiction literature. Similes make everything better. At first glance, students keep reading over them, but the understanding of similes and metaphors unlocks another layer of reading. It is a layer that is deeper and makes readers really think. Figurative language skills matter because they help build critical readers. When building sentence fluency, these skills create stronger readers that add sentence variety and fluency to their writing skills. While you can catch similes in almost any work of fiction these days, I like the books featured in this post for the deliberate instruction of simile usage in literature. This post will outline three books and examples of similes, and it will also show you how I help young writers transfer these skills to their own writing through the mentor text process.
Easy as pie.
If you are interested in learning more about the mentor text process, start here. You may also want to check out my professional development presentation on using mentor texts in the literacy classroom.
BLENDED BY SHARON DRAPER
BOOK TRAILER
STUDENTS WRITE DOWN SENTENCES IN NOTEBOOK
STUDENTS SEE OTHER EXAMPLES TO MAKE CONNECTIONS
ARU SHAH AND THE END OF TIME BY ROSHANI CHOKSHI
BOOK TRAILER
STUDENTS WRITE DOWN SENTENCES IN NOTEBOOK
THE BRIDGE HOME BY PADMA VENKATRAMAN
BOOK TRAILER
STUDENTS WRITE DOWN SENTENCES IN NOTEBOOK
Students Write Like Authors
SIMILE BANK FOR STUDENTS TO REFERENCE
This part of the lesson begins with students picking their favorite simile on the board. If they have another one in mind that is more than fine. The goal is for them to write one down, and this essentially becomes a mini-story idea for them to write a little bit about. I want young writers to use similes in their writing as naturally as possible to practice adding it to their own work, but also to be able to recognize this strategy in the books they are reading in class and on their own. After we write mini-stories, we share our ideas with each other.