Ask the 5th grade students to search newspapers, magazines and books for samples of the use of simile. Have them find both classic and contemporary samples. Poet Robert Burns, who lived from 1759 to 1796, used simile in his classic poem "A Red, Red Rose." The first line reads, "O my Luve's like a red, red rose," and is only one of the similes used. The fifth-grade students should consider how they wish their poster to look and copy the samples on text strips or blurbs to use on their poster display.
After the fifth-grade students understand what a simile is and have found samples in literature, ask them to write three sentences using similes. For example, they can make the reference personal with, "My mom is the rock of our family," or, "My backpack often seems like a 10-ton weight."
Metaphors compare directly without the use of "like" or "as." William Shakespeare used metaphor in his Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day." Ask students to find at least five examples of the use of metaphors from media sources and books. Students must explain why their choices would be considered metaphors and copy them along with a reference of where the metaphors may be found in the form they've chosen for their poster display.
Dived the class into teams of two. One team member chooses a subject. The second team member chooses an unlike comparison. They then write a metaphor comparing the two. For example, if the words "snake" and "ocean" are chosen, the resulting metaphor might be, "The ocean waves are undulating snakes." Ask them to write three metaphors to use with their poster project. Discuss how using metaphor helps communicate a scene or idea.
Once the fifth-grade students understand the simile and metaphor, have them design a poster using the similes and metaphors they found in literature and wrote. The poster heading might be one of the following, "Simile and Metaphor --- Figures of Speech," "Figures of Speech that Aid Communication," or "How Metaphors and Similes are Used in Conveying Meaning." The students may start with two circles with the definition of simile and metaphor in each of the circles. They ring the samples around the circles. Students may divide the poster and show one speech figure on one side and another on the other. They add their own explanations of why each figure of speech works in context.