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Language Handbook Lesson 18 Figurative Language

Figurative LanguageLesson 18

Writers use figurative language, including similes and metaphors, to help readers imagine what one thing is like by comparing it to something else.

• A simile compares two or more things using the words like or as. The table below contains two sentences with similes. It then explains what those similes mean.

Simile What It MeansNoah stood as still as a rabbit trying not to be seen. Noah stood very still.

The world around him was like a beautiful movie.Noah saw beautiful things happening all around him.

• A metaphor compares two or more things without using the words like or as. In the metaphor below, the clouds are compared to sailing ships.

Metaphor What It MeansWhite clouds were ships sailing across the sky. The clouds moved like ships across the sky.

Introduction

1 Sunbeams were golden threads piercing the clouds.

Meaning:

2 Mountain goats leaped like dancers from rock to rock.

Meaning:

3 The butterflies drifted as lazily as falling leaves.

Meaning:

4 Bright flowers were jewels gleaming in the sunlight.

Meaning:

Find the simile or metaphor in each sentence. Underline the two things being compared. Then write the meaning of the simile or metaphor.

Guided Practice

HINT After you find the two things being compared, ask yourself: How are they alike? Use your answer to figure out what each simile or metaphor means.

LAFS.5.L.3.5a: Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.

Your Turn Book Vocabulary Review

Page 197

Review the vocabulary words and their definitions below. Complete the sentences using the vocabulary word provided.

1. (plumes) At the zoo our class ________________________________ __________________________________________________________

2. (barren) The desert land was _______________________________

_________________________________________________________

3. (meaningful) The old letter from their father was ________________

__________________________________________________________

4. (expression) In his notebook _________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Plumes- big, fluffy feathers or feathery parts

Meaningful- having importance or a purpose

Barren- something that is lifeless or not able to grow anything

Expression- outing thoughts or feelings into words or actions.

The Strength of Three

The Strength of Three

There was once a family of three sons. The boys were not kind to one another. In fact, they fought constantly, each one trying to outdo the others in some sort of sport. For instance, if one boy were building a raft, another had to build a canoe. Then the third had to build an even larger and finer boat. Because each of them worked alone, their work was difficult, and the results were not always worthwhile. Of their three boats, not one was seaworthy. There was little peace in their home. 

Their father despaired. He feared they would never learn to cooperate. He decided to try to teach them a lesson. He gathered up a cartful of thin reeds and tied them together with strong vines. At dinner, he announced a contest: "Behold this bundle of twigs," he bellowed. "I challenge you to break it in half, for whoever figures out the secret will win a life of rich rewards." 

The oldest son took the bundle in his calloused hands. He was strong, and he used all of his strength to try to break the reeds, but they would not be broken. Finally he gave up, and his younger brother took on the challenge. He balanced the reeds across the tabletop and used all of his weight to try to snap the bundle, but it did not crack. Finally, he gave up, and the youngest brother took the tightly bound twigs in his hands. He, too, struggled with all of his might to snap the bundle into two pieces, but it would not break. 

Finally, the father took the bundle from them. He untied the vine that held them together. He then divided the bundle into three equal piles of twigs. "Now break your twigs into two," he said. Each boy, one at a time, did as his father asked. The task was easy. Each bundle broke with hardly any effort. "When you divide your work, it is easy and you can accomplish much," the old man said. And with that, the young men understood that alone each of them was weak. But together, they had great strength.

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The Strength of Three - Theme Questions

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. The theme of the passage is that it's best to

A. work harder.

B. forget about making boats.

C. cooperate.

D. work alone.

2. Before the father had the brothers complete the task, they were very

A. happy with each other.

B. competitive.

C. cooperative.

D. skilled boat makers.

3. Which of the following lines supports the theme?

A. "There was little peace in their home."

B. "Finally he gave up, and his younger brother took on the challenge."

C. "I challenge you to break it in half."

D. "When you divide your work, it is easy and you can accomplish much."

4. The "life of rich rewards" that the father promised was really

A. an early inheritance.

B. realizing that working together brings success.

C. an empty promise of gift money.

D. a pardon from being sentenced to death.

5. What is the meaning of vine in the sentence: "He untied the vine that held them

together."

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What's in a Name?

What's in a Name?

His name was Jack. Jack Russell. It was not easy going through life with the name of a terrier. A dog, for Pete's sake!  From about second grade on, kids had made fun of his name, some of them making barking sounds when he came into a room. He was actually Jack Russell IV - the fourth first son of a first son, named for the original Jack Russell, his great grandfather. 

Maybe because his name had become such a joke, he paid particular attention to names. He loved learning bizarre names of places - Dead Horse, Arkansas; Monkey's Eyebrow, Arizona. There were the breakfast-sounding names - places like Two Egg, Florida, and Oatmeal, Texas. Some names seemed to tell stories about the people who'd first settled there - like Last Chance, Colorado, and Boring, Indiana.

When the kids first started making fun of him, his parents tried to console him. His mother recalled going to school with a girl named Candy Cane. As if to invite ridicule, she wore red and white striped clothes. His dad, who hadn't minded being Jack Russell III, had a different tactic. He tried to make him proud of the name with stories about the original Jack Russell - sailor, war hero, and inventor. 

When he moved up from grade school to junior high, he made a decision. He'd use his middle name, Harry. At first, it went well.  Even his old friends took to calling him Harry, and, as far as the kids he'd never met before were concerned, that had always been his name.  Even his parents and sister started calling him Harry, until he met Ciara, the prettiest and smartest girl in sixth grade. 

"Hi, I'm Harry," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Wow! That's my dog's name!" she said, as she closed her locker door and walked away with her friends.

ReadWorks.orgCopyright © 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.

What's in a Name? - Theme Questions

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. The overall theme of the story is that

A. you should not make fun of other people's names.

B. place names are stranger than people's names.

C. names can be embarrassing.

D. it does not matter what you call yourself.

2. Another theme of the story seems to be that

A. introducing oneself can make one feel self-conscious.

B. dogs never have names that sound like people's names.

C. the best-planned actions can have unintended outcomes.

D. having a family name with a number after it is an honor.

3. The following are Jack Harry Russell's character traits, except

A. he is good at problem solving.

B. he has a bad temper.

C. he is sensitive about being made fun of.

D. he is interested in the names of places.

4. The plot of the story takes a turn when Jack

A. moves from elementary to junior high school.

B. collects funny names of towns.

C. consults his father for advice.

D. learns about his ancestors.

5. What details support the theme of the story?

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Independent Practice

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Language Handbook Lesson 18 Figurative Language

1 The landscape was a patchwork quilt of sights and sounds.

A The quilt showed a variety of sights and sounds.

B The quilt had a picture of the landscape on it.

C The landscape had a blanket covering it.

D The landscape had a variety of sights and sounds.

2 A waterfall gushed like a faucet down the side of the mountain.

A The waterfall was powerful.

B The waterfall was narrow.

C A faucet was on the mountain.

D A faucet made the waterfall.

3 The brook gurgled as happily as a well-fed baby.

A A baby made pleasant sounds near the brook.

B The brook made a pleasant sound.

C There were many fish in the brook.

D The well-fed baby sounded happy.

4 Croaking frogs sounded as loud as a marching band.

A The frogs marched as they made croaking sounds.

B The frogs were very musical.

C The frogs croaked very loudly.

D The marching band sounded like loud croaking.

5 Noah was a sponge, soaking up the landscape’s sights and sounds.

A Noah was good at cleaning.

B Noah fell into the water and got soaked.

C Noah was thirsty as he watched and listened.

D Noah looked at and listened to everything.

For numbers 1–5, choose the correct meaning of the underlined simile or metaphor.