Language Arts · Grade 3

Active learning ideas

Interpreting Metaphors and Similes in Poetry

Active learning helps Grade 3 students grasp metaphors and similes because figurative language requires concrete examples and repeated practice. When students discuss, draw, and act out comparisons, they move beyond memorization to true understanding. This hands-on approach makes abstract ideas tangible and memorable.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.5.A

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Hundred Languages
• 25 min · Pairs

Pairs: Metaphor Discussion Cards

Provide cards with poem excerpts containing metaphors. Partners read aloud, identify the metaphor, discuss its literal and figurative meanings, and note the emotion it evokes. Pairs share one example with the class.

Explain how a metaphor helps us understand a complex emotion in a poem.

Facilitation Tip

During Metaphor Discussion Cards, listen for pairs to explain why they categorized a phrase as a metaphor or simile, not just whether they got it right.

What to look for

Provide students with a short poem containing one metaphor and one simile. Ask them to: 1. Circle the simile and underline the metaphor. 2. Write one sentence explaining the figurative meaning of the simile. 3. Write one sentence explaining what the metaphor helps them understand about the poem's topic.

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Hundred Languages
• 35 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Simile Illustration Gallery

Groups select similes from a class anthology, illustrate the figurative image on chart paper, and write a sentence explaining the comparison's effect. Groups gallery walk to view and discuss others' work.

Compare the literal and figurative meanings of a simile in a poem.

Facilitation Tip

For Simile Illustration Gallery, circulate to ensure groups ground their drawings in the literal meaning before exploring the figurative one.

What to look for

Display a sentence like 'The classroom was a zoo today.' Ask students to hold up fingers: 1 if it's a simile, 2 if it's a metaphor. Then, ask them to write on a whiteboard or scrap paper what the classroom was literally like, and what it was figuratively like.

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Hundred Languages
• 30 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Figurative Language Charades

Project a poem line with simile or metaphor. Students volunteer to act out the figurative meaning silently while class guesses and explains the literal versus figurative sense. Repeat with student-chosen examples.

Analyze the effect of a specific metaphor on the overall meaning of a poem.

Facilitation Tip

In Figurative Language Charades, pause after each round to ask students how the simile or metaphor helped them guess the word or phrase.

What to look for

Present students with a poem that uses a central metaphor. Ask: 'How does the poet's comparison of [object A] to [object B] help you understand the poet's feelings about [topic]? What specific words or ideas in the poem connect these two things?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Hundred Languages
• 20 min · Individual

Individual: Personal Metaphor Journal

Students choose an emotion from a poem, write a short original metaphor or simile for it, and draw the image. Collect journals for a class share circle.

Explain how a metaphor helps us understand a complex emotion in a poem.

What to look for

Provide students with a short poem containing one metaphor and one simile. Ask them to: 1. Circle the simile and underline the metaphor. 2. Write one sentence explaining the figurative meaning of the simile. 3. Write one sentence explaining what the metaphor helps them understand about the poem's topic.

• Understand
• Apply
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach metaphors and similes by pairing direct instruction with repeated exposure in varied contexts. Start with clear definitions and examples, then give students chances to practice identifying and creating their own. Avoid relying solely on worksheets; instead, use games, art, and movement to reinforce learning. Research shows that students retain figurative language best when they use it creatively.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently identify metaphors and similes in poems, explain their figurative meanings, and connect them to the poet’s message. They will also create their own figurative comparisons to show they understand how these devices enhance poetry.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Metaphor Discussion Cards, watch for students who group phrases like 'busy as a bee' and 'the bee is a tiny engine' as the same type of comparison.

  Encourage pairs to read each card aloud and explain whether the phrase uses 'like' or 'as' for similes, or equates two things directly for metaphors. Have them sort the cards into two piles and justify their choices to each other.

• During Simile Illustration Gallery, watch for students who draw only the figurative meaning without linking it to the literal meaning first.

  Ask groups to first sketch the literal objects in the simile, such as a clam for 'happy as a clam' before drawing the joyful expression that connects the two.

• During Figurative Language Charades, watch for students who guess the word or phrase without considering how the figurative language helps them.

  After each round, ask the class to share how the metaphor or simile made the word or phrase easier to guess, focusing on the vivid image it created.

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Methods used in this brief

• Hundred Languages