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5th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 11

Figurative Language

Similes, metaphors, idioms and more

What your child practices

Spotting similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, onomatopoeia and alliteration, and explaining what common idioms really mean.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 5.L.5 · similes, metaphors, idioms and more

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A simile compares with like or as. A metaphor says one thing is another.
  2. Personification gives human traits to things. Hyperbole is a huge exaggeration.
  3. An idiom means something different from its words: “over the moon” means very happy.

Example: “Telling a joke helped break the ice.” What does “break the ice” mean? Nobody is breaking real ice. A joke at the start helps people relax. Answer: help everyone feel comfortable together

Figurative Language in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 11 in 5th grade English Language Arts, after Plot and Conflict and before Purpose and Structure.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    What kind of figurative language is this?

    Kenji's notebook is a treasure chest of ideas.

    • personification
    • metaphor
    • simile
    • alliteration

  2. Question 2

    What does this hyperbole really mean?

    Our family stood in that line forever.

    • We waited a very long time.
    • We left the line right away.
    • We are still in line today.
    • We waited a few seconds.

  3. Question 3

    What does the idiom “on the fence” mean in this sentence?

    Ravi is on the fence about joining the choir.

    • very excited
    • sitting outside
    • unable to decide
    • already a member

  4. Question 4

    What kind of figurative language is this?

    Lena's voice was as calm as a still pond.

    • onomatopoeia
    • simile
    • alliteration
    • hyperbole

  5. Question 5

    What kind of figurative language is this?

    Seven slippery seals slid off the sunny rock.

    • hyperbole
    • personification
    • simile
    • alliteration

  6. Question 6

    What does this hyperbole really mean?

    Noah's homework took about a thousand years to finish.

    • Noah's homework was very easy.
    • Noah's homework took a very long time.
    • Noah's homework was finished quickly.
    • Noah's homework was about history.

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