Objective:
The student should be able to distinguish between onomatopoeia, simile, and alliteration.
The student should be able to give original examples of onomatopoeia, simile, and alliteration and incorporate them into their writing.
Directions:
Read As Quick as a Cricket. After you finish reading, ask your students to tell you the main character’s character traits. Reread one of the pages and explain to students that the author uses a special way to describe each character trait. He compares that trait to something else using the words like or as. Explain to students that this is called a simile. The author took a character trait like “strong” and compared it to something that is strong. For example: I’m as strong as an ox.
Have students raise their hands to use a simile to describe themselves. If you think necessary give another example to help students understand.
Read “Eddie” from Spider. Explain the use of alliteration in the poem such as “blue beetle burps” and “butterfly flits from flower to flower.” Tell the students that alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds like “b” in “blue beetle burps”. Next ask students what sound Eddie might make. Explain that the sounds “woof” is an example of onomatopoeia, that they are words describing the sound something might make.
Activity:
Students will create a mini booklet by folding a piece of paper in half hot dog style. On the top flap cut 3 even pieces, leaving three flaps. The flaps should say alliteration, simile, and onomatopoeia. Under each flap they should write the definition, write and illustrate an example of each. Students should share booklets. It’s a fun way to gain understanding.
Standard: Reading 2-1.4, 2-1.7
Essential Question: How can we use alliteration, onomatopoeia, and simile to enhance our writing?
Lesson adapted from Quick as a Cricket Lesson Plan by Michele Higgins, scholastic.com
