Learning Objective Say accurately what is meant by the term simile Identify similes in the work of others Comment on the effectiveness of similes Think of new similes and apply them in your own writing

BEYONCE! Who wrote the lyric? “Say I'm the one you own, if you don't, you'll be alone, and like a ghost, I'll be gone” Beyonce: Single Ladies

LADY GAGA Who wrote the lyric? “Can’t believe my eyes, so many women without a flaw, and I ain’t gonna give it up, steady tryin’ to pick it up like a car” Lady Gaga - Just Dance

TAYLOR SWIFT Who wrote the lyric? “Cory's eyes are like a jungle, he smiles, it's like the radio, he whispers songs into my window in words nobody knows there's pretty girls on every corner that watch him as he's walking home saying, does he know will you ever know.” TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift - Stay Beautiful

EMINEM Who wrote the lyric? “By the time they hit fourth grade, they got the Discovery Channel don't they? "We ain't nothing but mammals.." Well, some of us cannibals who cut other people open like cantaloupes” Eminem - The Real Slim Shady

What do they all have in common? They all use similes A simile is a figure of speech consisting of a comparison using like or as. Well-chosen similes can be used to enliven writing or as an alternative to description using adjectives, for example.

Now it’s your turn Have a listen to the following song - see if you can count how many times Katy Perry uses similes. There are 6 similes in the song (although some are repetitive). Click on the link to the image to go straight through to the YouTube video.

Have a look at the lyrics Underline all the similes in Fireworks What images do they make you think of? Do you think it has any impact? Discuss in pairs for 5 minutes - write down any thoughts on your sheet. This will give students the opportunity to identify them for themselves and consider what impact it may have on their writing.

Have a look at the worksheet Each line is missing a simile Complete the sheet using the most imaginative similes that you can think of Don’t forget to use the most complex vocabulary you can think of!

Who was imaginative? The moon glowed like Raindrops dripped down the window pane like Smoke floated on the air like The air smells fresh as The rose petals are as delicate as The surface of the water is as smooth as

The icicles pointed downwards like Dewdrops glistened on the flowers like The fog covered the city like The clouds are fluffy as The girl sings as sweetly as The traffic moved as slowly as The crows cackled like The children scuttled across the beach like The road wound its way up the mountain like The water streamed down like

Snow drifted to earth like Her angry words spewed out like The rain tapped on the roof as steadily as The wind rushed through the house like Wildflowers dotted the landscape like The boy is as fit as The child ate like His stomach rumbled like The soft breeze on her face was as gentle as Snow topped the mountain like

Lets have a listen... Any volunteers?!

A little creative writing... Take a mental photo of a person you know or can remember very well. Write a poem describing this person. Your poem must be at least eight lines long. It must contain at least four similes. It does not have to rhyme. Things you could describe are: Their skin • Their eyes • Their hair • Their voice • Their laugh • Their smell • Their clothes

And just before you go... On a post it write down: One thing that you enjoyed One thing that you learnt One thing you’d like to do next