Figurative Deepening — Similes, Metaphors, and Personification in Informational Writing

Teacher reads aloud one Sidman poem-and-sidebar pair. Children identify similes, metaphors, and personification in both.

• Read with pacing that highlights figurative moves
• Pause at each figurative phrase
• Name the type

Today you deepen figurative-language work from fall by adding PERSONIFICATION to the SIMILE and METAPHOR you already know. SIMILE — 'X is LIKE Y' or 'X is AS [adj] AS Y'. Example: 'Her voice was as clear as a bell.' METAPHOR — 'X IS Y' (no like/as). Example: 'Her voice was thunder.' PERSONIFICATION — non-human gets human qualities. Example: 'The wind whispered through the trees.' / 'The mountain watched over the valley.' Watch teacher add each type to one Sojourner Truth informational sentence. ORIGINAL: 'Sojourner's voice carried far.' SIMILE: 'Sojourner's voice carried far, like the ringing of a great bell across a quiet town.' METAPHOR: 'Sojourner's voice was a bell, ringing across a quiet town.' PERSONIFICATION: 'Sojourner's voice traveled the country, calling out to anyone who would listen.' Each adds VIVIDNESS — but informational writing uses figurative moves sparingly. ONE per essay is the target — in the hook (intro) or the so-what (conclusion).

• Notice informational writing uses figurative SPARINGLY. Pile on too much and the report stops being informational. Pick one strong move and place it where it matters most — hook or so-what.

  model See narrative — same idea, 3 figurative types.

  prompt Teacher adds 3 figurative-type sentences to one informational sentence.

• What is the difference between a simile, a metaphor, and personification?
• Where in a research report should figurative language appear, and where should it NOT?

M-4-S-VOC-08-A Chart

Portion of MG-14 anchor at 11x17 showing top 3 bands: SIMILE (light blue), METAPHOR (orange), PERSONIFICATION (green). Each band has type icon, 'X is LIKE Y' / 'X IS Y' / 'NON-HUMAN gets HUMAN VERB' rule, and 3 example sentences from mentor texts (Nye, Morales, Sidman). Print-ready, dyslexic-friendly font.

MG-14 Chart

Figurative-language full anchor: 6-band card with each figurative type. SIMILE (light blue): 'X is LIKE Y' / 'X is AS [adj] AS Y' — 'Her voice was like thunder.' METAPHOR (orange): 'X IS Y' — 'Her voice was thunder.' PERSONIFICATION (green): non-human gets human qualities — 'The wind whispered through the trees.' IDIOM (purple): figurative meaning, not literal — 'It's raining cats and dogs' = raining heavily. ADAGE (yellow): old saying with general truth — 'Actions speak louder than words.' PROVERB (pink): saying offering advice — 'A stitch in time saves nine.' Each band has 2-3 examples and one usage-note. Print-ready 11x17.

• Write ONE simile, ONE metaphor, and ONE personification about YOUR research topic. Pick the strongest.

  scaffold MG-14 anchor; figurative-card deck; sentence-frame card
• Add your strongest to your introduction HOOK or conclusion SO-WHAT. Annotate in green pencil with the type label.

  scaffold Green pencil; partner check

• Show your 3 figurative sentences. Partner identifies each type.
• Show where you added 1 move to your essay — read it aloud.

• Star your strongest figurative move.
• Predict: tomorrow we meet outlining.

• Find one figurative move (simile, metaphor, or personification) in a book at home. Bring the quote on a sticky note with type labeled.