The note
How schools teach it now
Schools call these figurative language. A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as' (as cold as ice), a metaphor says one thing is another (the classroom was a zoo), and personification gives an object human actions (the wind whispered). In Years 5 and 6 children explain the effect, not just name the technique.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Look out of the window or at the dinner table and take turns finishing 'as ___ as ___' or '___ like ___' about something you can see: 'the gravy is as thick as mud'. Then turn one into a metaphor ('the gravy was mud') and one into personification ('the kettle grumbled').
Worked example
Which sentence contains a simile? A: The wind howled through the trees. B: Her smile was as bright as the sun. C: My brother is a night owl. D: The car was very fast.
- Look for 'like' or 'as ... as' comparing two different things.
- B compares a smile with the sun using 'as bright as', so it's a simile.
- A is personification (wind can't really howl) and C is a metaphor (he isn't really an owl).
Answer: B
Common mistakes to watch for
- Calling any sentence with 'like' a simile, even 'I like apples'.
- Mixing up similes and metaphors: a metaphor has no 'like' or 'as'.
- Naming the technique but not saying what it makes the reader imagine or feel.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “What two things are being compared, and what does that make you picture?”
- Rather than
- “That's just a fancy word for describing.”