Subscribe

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.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 5.2.6.1; 5.1.8.1 · figurative language, hyperbole and the nuances of words

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 Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 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: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

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 does the idiom “hit the books” mean in this sentence?

    Ana hit the books all weekend before her test.

    • returned her library books
    • studied hard
    • forgot about the test
    • knocked books off a shelf

  2. Question 2

    What kind of figurative language is this?

    I've told you a million times to close the door.

    • personification
    • alliteration
    • hyperbole
    • onomatopoeia

  3. Question 3

    Which sentence uses hyperbole?

    • I'm so hungry I could eat a mountain of pancakes.
    • Beep! The microwave timer went off.
    • The old map was as fragile as a dry leaf.
    • In summer, Grandpa's yard is a rainbow of flowers.

  4. Question 4

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

    Ravi is on the fence about joining the choir.

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

  5. Question 5

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

  6. Question 6

    What kind of figurative language is this?

    The stars winked at us from the dark sky.

    • onomatopoeia
    • personification
    • simile
    • hyperbole

More 5th grade