Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

CAEP 2018 K-6 Elementary Teacher Preparation Standards
Reading Lesson
UNIT BIG IDEA
You have the power to be the change.

LESSON RATIONALE
Students need to understand what similes and metaphors are because they are used in text
everywhere, even in pop songs. Once students understand similes and metaphors, they will
be able to use them to help them understand texts better and be able to use it to make their
own writing more descriptive.

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
A. Goal(s)— Students will understand how figurative language can help them better
understand texts.
B. Objective(s)— After completing the mini lesson, students will understand the
difference between similes and metaphors.
After completing the choice board activities, students will be able to find similes and
metaphors in text and be able to decipher what they mean in context.
After completing the choice board activities, students will be able to use similes and
metaphors in their writing to make it more descriptive.
C. Standard(s): 6.RV.3.3 Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
II. Management Plan-
 Time per lesson element: Anticipatory set 5 minutes, mini lesson 15 minutes, BDA
#1 20 minutes, BDA #2 20 minutes, closure 10 minutes
 Use of space: Students will be seated at their desks for the anticipatory set and mini
lesson. I will do the BDA lessons with students at the kidney table in the back while
the rest of the students will be encouraged to spread out in the room (desks, library
area, coffee table area) to do their choice board activities.
 List of materials: Each student will need their chrome books and headphones. I will
use the smart board for the anticipatory set and mini lesson. They will also need
access to the google doc choice board. For the BDA lesson I will have lyrics printed
for each student to read.
 Describe expectations and procedures: I will expect students to engage with this
new topic by listening and talking to their neighbor when I ask them to. When it
comes time for choice boards, I will expect students to be on task to get two
activities done. During the BDA lesson, I will expect students to be respectful to their
peers and work through the topic as a group.
III. Anticipatory Set
 “This morning we are going to listen to a song! I am going to have a lyric video play so
that you can listen to the song while also seeing the words! While you listen, I want you
to think about what the meaning behind this song is.”

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  I will play the song Firework by Katy Perry
 After listening to the song, I will ask students what they think about this song an what the
meaning is/what it could be.
 “I think after our lesson today, we are going to understand the meaning of the song a
little better after breaking it down and looking at some figurative language.”
IV. Purpose: “We are going to learn all about figurative language today because it is used in
writing every day whether in books, songs, or poems and when we understand
figurative language, we can better understand what we read! We can also use
figurative language to make our own writing more descriptive!”

PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

V. Adaptation to Individual Differences and Diverse Learners (Based on Mrs. Friend’s
Homeroom class because I am not sure which block I will be observed in yet)
 There is a student with an emotional disability. There will be an aid with him who
can help keep him on task and focused on the choice board. If he begins to have a
breakdown, he can go to the resource room to calm down.
 There is an English Language Learner. This lesson has many listening opportunities
which will help him as he seems to do better with speaking and listening than
reading. However, he is on grade level with most of his work and has a high level of
language acquisition.
 There are a couple students with ADHD. This lesson has fun components and by
allowing students to move around for their choice boards will help keep them
moving and a little more focused.

VI. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

Mini Lesson
 “We are going to start by taking Firework, the song we just listened to , and see if we
can find figurative language to help us better understand this song. First off, can
anyone tell me what Katy Perry is actually writing about when she wrote this song?”
Allow time for students to make a guess what the song is about. At the end of the
mini lesson make the connection back to how understanding the figurative language
helps us better understand the song.
 “A metaphor is when we describe an object or action in a way that is not literal or true
but it helps us understand the object or idea. It is similar to a comparison. An example
may be the snow is a white blanket. We know the snow is not actually a blanket but by
saying this we can now picture the layer of snow that is covering everything. Now I
want you to turn to your neighbor and each of you tell your neighbor what a metaphor
is in your own words.” Allow students time to do this, bring students back together,
and ask one student to tell you what a metaphor is and then write that on the board.
“Perfect! Now can anyone find a metaphor in the lyrics of this song (the lyrics will be
on the smartboard)?” Allow students think time and then have them talk to their
neighbor again and help each other out. Bring them back in and ask someone to
show you an example (“Baby you’re a firework”). “Wonderful! We found a metaphor
in this song!”

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 “A simile is a comparison of two different things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’ to make
the comparison. An example may be your explanation is as clear as mud which is a
more descriptive way of saying someone gave you a very unclear explanation. Now
turn to your neighbor, tell them what a simile is and give them an example.” Allow
students time to talk to one another and then bring them back in and ask one
student to share. “Perfect. Now let’s find an example of a simile in the lyrics.” Allow
students think time and the opportunity to talk to their neighbor if needed. Then ask
a student to give you an example (“Own the night like the fourth of July”.
 “Okay, I love that we were able to find both a metaphor and a simile in the lyrics. The
question now is what does that mean for the song? Why did Katy Perry choose to say
we are like a firework? What does that really mean? I want you to brainstorm with
your neighbor again what that may mean to be a firework. Think about what
fireworks are and how they look and that may help you.” Give students time to talk to
each other and then bring them in and have students share what they came up with.
Be sure students come to the conclusion that we have a lot of potential inside of us
just like a firework does before bursting. “Now let’s look at our simile. Talk to your
neighbor again, what does Katy Perry mean when she tells us to own the night like the
fourth of July. Keep in mind she already told us we are like a firework meaning we have
a lot of potential.” Allow time for students to talk and then bring them back in to
share their ideas. Make sure they come to the conclusion that the comparison is
telling us to take charge of our lives in the same way fireworks are the spotlight and
the owner of the fourth of July.
 “Now that we have looked at some figurative language in the song, and broke down
the metaphor and simile in this song, do you feel like you understand the song a little
bit better? Once we understand what Katy Perry is saying when she calls us a firework
and tells us to own the night like the fourth of July, we understand that she wants us to
change our mindset and own our lives because we each have potential! We are now
going to have the opportunity to explore figurative language some more! I will be
calling a couple groups back to the table in the back to work with me on some things.
While that is happening, the rest of you have a choice board that was shared with you
on your Google drive. You will have three choices and you only have to do two. If you
finish two before time is up, then go ahead and do the third. Give me a thumbs up if
that makes sense.”
 “The first choice board option is to do a free write. I want you to write a creative story
or even something that has happened in your life, but I want you to make it more
descriptive by adding at least three similes and metaphors. Give me a thumbs up if that
option makes sense. The second option is to choose one of the poems that are listed and
find at least three similes or metaphors and then fill out the chart below the choice
board to tell me how that simile or metaphor helps you to better understand the text.
The third option is to go on YouTube and search wildcat books. Listen to some of the
read aloud books and find one with some simile and metaphor examples. List the book
you found along with some simile and metaphor examples on the google doc under
your choice board.” I will show them on the smartboard the wildcat books and how
to find them. “Give me a thumbs up if this makes sense. You may work alone or quietly

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 in pairs. Make sure you listen because I will be calling some of you to the back to work
with me. Now go ahead and get started!
**For the groups for the BDA, I will work with Mrs. Friend to see if there are certain
students she wants me to work with based on station work they usually do. If not, I will
group students based on interests I already know about them and see if it works as a way
of trial and error for me.**
BDA #1: I’m Already There by Lonestar- metaphors
 Before: “Have your parents or maybe another family member you are close with ever
gone on a long trip?” Did you miss them? What might it be like for someone close to
you to be gone for a while?” I will ask similar questions to these to introduce this
song that the band wrote to their kids while they were away on tour. I will then
hand students the lyrics.
 During: “Okay you are each going to read the lyrics to this song silently to yourselves. I
want you to think about where you might see metaphors in this song. Once you have
read all of it, I want you to go on YouTube and look up ‘I’m Already There by Lonestar
lyrics’ that way you can listen to the song in context while reading the lyrics still. Once
you have done that, sit quietly and wait for everyone to be done, sound good? Let’s look
at an example in this song of a metaphor first.” I will show them an example and we
will talk about why that is a metaphor so that they first see an example in
context.“Go ahead and get reading!”
 After:
o Responding: “So what did you guys think of this song?” Allow time for students
to respond. “What kind of emotions do you feel when you hear this song and
read the lyrics? Allow more response time for this question.
o Exploring: “Did you guys notice any metaphors in the song as you read and
listened? Allow response time and then give each student a highlighter to
highlight the different metaphors they found. If I see not all students were
getting all of the metaphors but another student did, I will ask the student
why they found that to be a metaphor as an attempt to have the students
teach each other. Then go through the metaphors asking students what they
mean in the context of the song. How are we able to understand what they
mean? The premise of the metaphors is that they are comparing themselves
to daily things (ex. Sunshine, shadows, etc.) and therefore they are always
there with the family even when they are not there physically.
o Applying: After going through each metaphor, ask students “how does
understanding the metaphors in this song help us to better understand the song
as a whole?” Allow time for students to respond and then tell them to
continue with their choice board work and explore more metaphors and
similes and see how they can help you better understand the works that you
are reading.
BDA #2: I’ll Make a Man Out of You by Donny Osmond- similes and metaphors
 Before: Show students the name of the song and ask “who has heard this song
before?” Allow students to respond and share their feelings on the song or on the
movie Mulan.

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  Reading: “Okay so we are going to read the lyrics to this song and I know it is a great
song but I want you guys to try to focus in on the similes and metaphors that you
might find throughout. So you are going to read through it silently to yourself. Then
you are going to go on YouTube and look up ‘I’ll make a man out of you Disney sing
along’ and listen to the song while you see the lyrics and see the song in context. Once
you have done that, sit quietly and wait for everyone to be finished. Sound good? Let’s
look at an example in this song of a metaphor first.” I will show them an example and
we will talk about why that is a metaphor so that they first see an example in
context. “Go ahead and get reading!”
 After:
o Responding: “Alright so how did you all like the song even though we kind of
talked about it already?” Allow time for students to respond.
o Exploring: “Okay so did you guys notice some similes and metaphors in the
text?” Allow students to talk about it some and then ask them to go through
with a highlighter and find the similes and metaphors (highlighting each in a
different color). Once each student completes that, I will again haves students
teach each other if I see one student may be understanding it a little more as
they are finding more similes and metaphors than another. We will then go
through the similes and metaphors talking about what each means to the
song and how we can use the meaning of the figurative language to help us
understand the song. The premise of the similes and metaphors is that even
though Mulan is not a man she can still be strong and brave like a typhoon or
a coursing river.
o Applying: “Okay so by understanding the figurative language in this song, how
can we better understand the song as a whole?” Allow time for students to
answer and then send them back to work on a little more of their choice
board work to explore figurative language in other work and the ways in
which it helps us better understand the work as a whole.
VII. Check for understanding. How do you know students have learned? What strategies
will you implement if all students have not met lesson outcomes? Employ one or more
strategies to determine student learning.
 In small group BDA lesson time, I will be able to focus in on some students and
reteach anything on metaphors and similes that may be unclear. Not only can I
reteach but I also plan to use other students in the group to help explain the
differences in these sometimes hard concepts.
 Also, during the BDA lesson time, I will be able to see which students in these groups
understand the concept of understanding the meaning of figurative language well. I
will listen to student responses in order to check their understanding.
 During the closure, I will ask students to share anything from their choice board
activities (share their story, the meaning they found through figurative language in a
poem, or a book on wildcat books that has figurative language) and I will be able to
gauge their understanding of the topic by what they share and any meaning they
gained.

VIII. Review learning outcomes / Closure

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  I will ask students to return to their desks. I will end our time by asking a few
students to share something they found interesting during their choice board
activities whether they share the story they wrote, the meaning they found through
figurative language in a poem, or a book on wildcat books that has figurative
language.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

 Formatively, I will assess students through conversation. I will use think, pair, share
as a way to listen to students explain the concept of similes and metaphors to each
other to be sure they are understanding what each one is.
 As a whole, I will asses students after the fact through their choice board activities. I
will look at the quality of work they have finished and whether or not they are being
able to understand similes and metaphors in the context of the text as a whole that
they worked with. This is also the work I will use to see if students have met the
objective.
REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS
Include unique self-answer questions that specifically address unique lesson content,
methodology, and assessment.
1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why
not?
About three fourths of the class effectively met at least one of the objectives. Some students
did not because they got distracted by their peers and got distracted with wildcat books. As
soon as they entered the realm of wildcat books, they did not want to do much else.
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
I believe I was able to keep the attention of the class during the mini lesson which was a
huge improvement. I also established talking to your neighbor which allowed opportunities
for all students to talk to each other and explain figurative language themselves. I also think
my small groups were very effective and I challenged myself with some difficult students
and I was able to handle it effectively in a small group setting. I think my weaknesses were
that I forgot to state a purpose which is very important. I also skipped over my check for
understanding a little bit and there might have needed to be opportunities for reteach.
3. How should I alter this lesson?
I think for the first BDA lesson I would use a different song. It was not quite as engaging as
the song from Mulan and the song was blocked on their computers so they could not listen
to it. They were understanding it well but the conversation that happened with the first
song just was not quite as deep, engaging or fun as it was with the second song.
4. How would I pace it differently?
I thought the lesson was paced well for these students. I do think they would have enjoyed
more time on their choice boards because they were having fun with them and were able to
be creative. In my own classroom this would be an ongoing lesson that we could continue
the next day but this was not possible this time. Other than that, students seemed to be
engaged with each task that we did leading me to believe it was paced well.
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
Yes! Skyler was the only one not participating for the time he was in the classroom but I
could create a chart for him to help him see the differences in the figurative language for

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this lesson. A few boys were a little off topic and goofing around but as soon as I went over
and split them up, they adjusted and were able to get some choice boar activities done.
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
I had many learning styles including musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and visual.
Students had many different learning opportunities within this lesson which I find helpful.
The choice board activities were also pretty open ended which helped cater to different
abilities as they could make it what they needed it to be/ what they could do.
7. Was the Think, Pair, Share effective? Did it give students more confidence in the
topic and were they more willing to share answers?
Yes! I think this gave students more confidence to share their answers and they were
almost all engaged talking to each other. It split the time up a little more and I was able to
listen in on conversations.
8. Were song lyrics effective in helping students understand how figurative language
helps us understand the text as a whole?
Yes! I think they loved doing this and they were catching onto similes and metaphors
through lyrics much faster than I expected. They were able to find them and explain them
with a lot of depth that I was not expecting. It was a fun way to teach figurative language
and I believe it was effective too.

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Choice Board
Option 1 Option 2 Option 3
Free Write! Explore poetry! Wildcat Books!
Write either a creative Choose one of the poems Explore Wildcat Books on
story, fiction or it could below and find at least YouTube and find a book
be something that three similes and/or that has similes and/or
happened in your life. metaphors. Use the chart metaphors. Tell me below
Include at least three below to write out the what you book you found
similes and/or metaphors example and then tell and list a couple of
to make your writing what it means and how similes/ metaphors.
more descriptive. Write the figure of speech helps
your story below or on a you better understand
piece of paper and turn it the poem.
in when you finish!
Dreams by Langston
Hughes
A Family is like a Circle by
Nicole O’Neil
An Ocean of Memories by
Kimberly Liones
True Friend by Ashley
Campbell

Option 2 Chart
Simile/metaphor What does it mean? How does it help you
better understand the
poem

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I'm Already There by Lonestar
He called her on the road
From a lonely, cold hotel room
Just to hear her say I love you one more time
But when he heard the sound

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Of the kids laughing in the background
He had to wipe away a tear from his eye
A little voice came on the phone
Said, "Daddy when you coming home?"
He said the first thing that came to his mind
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
I'm your imaginary friend
And I know I'm in your prayers
Oh, I'm already there
She got back on the phone
Said I really miss you, darling
Don't worry about the kids--they'll be all right
Wish I was in your arms
Lying right there beside you
But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight
And I'll gently kiss your lips
Touch you with my fingertips
So turn out the light and close your eyes
I'm already there
Don't make a sound
I'm the beat in your heart
I'm the moonlight shining down
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share?
Oh, I'm already there
We may be a thousand miles apart
But I'll be with you wherever you are
I'm already there
Take a look around
I'm the sunshine in your hair
I'm the shadow on the ground
I'm the whisper in the wind
And I'll be there until the end
Can you feel the love that we share?
Oh, I'm already there
Oh, I'm already there
I’ll Make a Man Out of You by Donny Osmond
Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns
Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?
You're the saddest bunch I ever met

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But you can bet before we're through
Mister, I'll make a man out of you
Tranquil as a forest but on fire within
Once you find your center, you are sure to win
You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot
And you haven't got a clue
Somehow I'll make a man out of you
I'm never gonna catch my breath
Say goodbye to those who knew me
Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym
This guy's got 'em scared to death
Hope he doesn't see right through me
Now I really wish that I knew how to swim
Be a man
We must be swift as the coursing river
Be a man
With all the force of a great typhoon
Be a man
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon
Time is racing toward us till the Huns arrive
Heed my every order and you might survive
You're unsuited for the rage of war
So pack up, go home, you're through
How could I make a man out of you?
Be a man
We must be swift as the coursing river
Be a man
With all the force of a great typhoon
Be a man
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon
Be a man
We must be swift as the coursing river
Be a man
With all the force of a great typhoon
Be a man
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

BDA #1 Group

 Karson

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  Jessie
 Zach
 Eleazin
 Chloe

BDA #2 Group

 Brayson
 Ava
 Iza’Bell
 Levi
 Peyton

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