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

As Busy as a Beehive

Similes with as … as and like

Lesson 1 of 12
Year 4 45 min

Objective

Write similes using as … as and like, comparing two different things that share a quality, and check that the comparison fits.

Board title: Similes  ·  Say it: “By the end of today you'll be able to write a simile: a comparison that uses as … as or like, and that really fits.”

Curriculum

  • Y3/4: composition — choosing vocabulary to create settings and characters
  • Y5/6: reading — how authors use figurative language (introduced here)
  • FS L1/L2: reading — language features, including simile (built on)
  • Terminology: simile · compare · as … as · like

Success criteria

  • spot a simile in a sentence
  • use as … as to compare two things
  • use like to compare two things
  • check that the two things really match

Key vocabulary

simile · compare · as … as · like · quality · picture

Run of the lesson

4 min
Starter on the board: The chef chopped fast. against The chef chopped like a sewing machine. Which one can you picture? One minute of paired talk, then take three answers.
8 min
Model Example 1 and 2. Build a simile out loud: pick the thing, pick the quality, then find something else famous for that quality. Write thing · quality · picture on the board as three columns.
6 min
The trap: I like hot soup. Ask what are the two things being compared? There are none. Swap it for The soup was like lava. together.
6 min
Flavour Match on the whiteboard, Medium band, Level 4 then Level 5. Class votes first; ask what the two things share before you tap.
18 min
Worksheet, independent. Circulate on Task 3. Most children will write the first simile that comes; ask for a second, fresher one.
3 min
Plenary: Polpetta's two menu similes, then the class quiz for SIMLD on the board.
On screenSPAGhetti → Flavour Match → Medium. Play Level 4 (as … as) then Level 5 (like); both simile levels are open from the start. One screen only; no pupil devices needed. Ask what the two things share as the class votes. ~10 items in 6 minutes with discussion.
SPAGhetti · Writer's craft sequence · Lesson 1 of 12  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils As Busy as a Beehive · side 2

On the day

If the tech failsSkip the game. Write three words on the board (a kitchen, the sea, a cat) and go round the tables: each table gives one simile for each, then the class votes on the best fit. The lesson works with no screen at all.
If they're on devicesLesson code SIMLD (on the worksheet footer) opens Flavour Match on Medium, with the two simile levels open. For writing, set Cook Up a Story and ask for one simile somewhere in their piece.

Misconceptions to watch for

Every like is a simile. I like pizza. It looks like rain. The word is there, so it feels right, but nothing is being compared. Ask: what are the two things? If there are not two different things, it is not a simile.

The second as goes missing. As cold ice. As busy a beehive. Children hear the pattern but drop a word. Teach it as a sandwich: as on each side, the quality in the middle.

The two things do not share anything. As quiet as a drum. The pattern is right but the picture is wrong. Ask: is a drum famous for being quiet? Make them say the shared quality out loud before they write.

A simile and a metaphor are the same thing. The kitchen was a beehive is a comparison too, but it says the kitchen is one. A simile always shows its join: as or like. Name the difference now; metaphors are the next lesson.

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: Give the second half first and let them choose: as white as … snow, coal, a carrot. Choosing comes before inventing.
  • Stretch: Task 3 extension: take a stale simile (as cold as ice) and make it fresh, then explain what the new picture adds.
  • SEN: Gentle mode on. Use real objects or pictures for the two things and hold them side by side. Say the shared quality out loud before writing. Some pupils take language literally; say clearly that the soup is not really lava.
  • EAL: As … as and like transfer well and follow a fixed pattern. Teach the sandwich frame first, then let them fill it with words they know in English.

Play it

Lesson code SIMLD 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 1 of 12  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora