Teacher notes for this lesson. Two sides of A4, not for pupils.Mild sheetMedium sheetSpicy sheetAnswers
Teacher notes · not for pupils Writer's craft sequence

The Kitchen Is a Zoo

Metaphors: saying one thing is another

Lesson 2 of 12
Year 5 45 min

Objective

Write metaphors that say one thing is another, choosing a comparison that fits, and tell a metaphor from a simile and from a plain fact.

Board title: Metaphors  ·  Say it: “By the end of today you'll be able to write a metaphor: saying one thing is something it is not, so the reader sees what they share.”

Curriculum

  • Y5/6: reading — how authors use figurative language, considering the impact on the reader
  • Y5/6: composition — selecting vocabulary to enhance meaning
  • FS L1/L2: reading — language features, including metaphor (built on)
  • Terminology: metaphor · simile · figurative · literal

Success criteria

  • spot a metaphor in a sentence
  • tell a metaphor from a simile
  • turn a simile into a metaphor
  • choose a metaphor that really fits

Key vocabulary

metaphor · simile · figurative · literal · fact · compare

Run of the lesson

4 min
Starter on the board: The kitchen was like a zoo. against The kitchen was a zoo. Which makes the bigger claim? One minute of paired talk; recall similes from last lesson.
8 min
Model Example 1 and 2. The superhero trick: with a simile you are like the thing, with a metaphor you become it. Have three pupils turn themselves into something out loud.
6 min
The trap: Polpetta is a chef. Ask could that really be true? It is, so it is a fact. Swap it for Polpetta is a volcano. together and ask what they share.
6 min
Flavour Match on the whiteboard, Spicy band, Level 5 then Level 6. Class votes first; on Level 6 make them say why before you tap.
18 min
Worksheet, independent. Circulate on Task 3: turning a simile into a metaphor means taking out like or as and often changing the verb.
3 min
Plenary: Polpetta's two menu lines, then the class quiz for METPE on the board.
On screenSPAGhetti → Flavour Match → Spicy. Play Level 5 (metaphors) then Level 6 (simile, metaphor or neither?); both are open from the start. One screen only; no pupil devices needed. ~10 items in 6 minutes with discussion.
SPAGhetti · Writer's craft sequence · Lesson 2 of 12  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils The Kitchen Is a Zoo · side 2

On the day

If the tech failsSkip the game. Write five sentences on the board (a fact, two similes, two metaphors) and have tables hold up S, M or F cards for each, then turn one simile into a metaphor together. The lesson works with no screen at all.
If they're on devicesLesson code METPE (on the worksheet footer) opens Flavour Match on Spicy, with the two metaphor levels open. For writing, set Cook Up a Story and ask for one metaphor somewhere in their piece.

Misconceptions to watch for

Every is makes a metaphor. Polpetta is a chef. The sky is blue. They have the is, so they look right, but they are simply true. Ask: could it really be true? If yes, it is a fact.

The two things share nothing. The slow tortoise was a rocket. The pattern is right but the picture is wrong. Make them name the shared quality before they write: fast, loud, cold.

A metaphor is a lie. Some pupils object that the kitchen is not really a zoo. They are right, and that is the point: a metaphor is a picture, not a claim about facts. Say this plainly, especially to pupils who take language literally.

Metaphor and simile get swapped. Children learn both words in the same week and mix them up. One test settles it: is there a like or an as? If yes, simile. If no, and it cannot be true, metaphor.

The three sheets

Same four tasks on every sheet, in the same order, with the same look. Only the demand changes. Print the one each child needs; nobody does two.

Mild

Same four tasks as every other sheet, same order, same look, the demand is lower, not the dignity. Shorter passage in Task 2, and in Task 3 a word bank or words to tick, with printed sentence starters. Give it to anyone who needs a way in, and expect them to move up.

Medium

The core sheet. Give this to most of the class. No word bank; in Task 3 pupils choose from a few close options, then use one in a sentence of their own.

Spicy

Same four tasks, more demand, a longer passage with a subtler error, and Task 3 asks for two things at once. Not extra work; harder work. Nobody should be doing Spicy and the Medium sheet.

Adaptive teaching

  • Support: Start from a simile they already have and take the like out: like a zoo becomes a zoo. Changing comes before inventing.
  • Stretch: Extend one metaphor over three sentences (the kitchen is a zoo: who are the lions, who is the keeper?) and say what that does to the reader.
  • SEN: Gentle mode on. Use the S, M or F cards for sorting before any writing. For pupils who take language literally, say each metaphor's real meaning out loud next to it: the kitchen is a zoo means it is loud and busy.
  • EAL: Many languages have metaphors and idioms of their own. Invite one, translate it word for word, and talk about what it means. Then use the sentence frame The _ was a _.

Play it

Lesson code METPE at playspaghetti.com. The code is printed on the bottom of every pupil sheet with a QR, and Class Quiz in your dashboard opens the plenary quiz for this lesson pre-picked.

SPAGhetti · Writer's craft sequence · Lesson 2 of 12  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora