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3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 14 of 21

Word Pictures

Metaphors and sound patterns

What your child practices

Understanding metaphors and similes, hearing repeated vowel sounds (assonance), and choosing strong, exact words.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 3R4 · what metaphors, sound patterns and strong word choices mean

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A simile compares two things using like or as: as quiet as a mouse.
  2. A metaphor says one thing is another: the classroom was a zoo.
  3. Strong, exact words paint a clearer picture: scurried instead of went.

Example: Which is a simile: “She was a mouse.” or “She was as quiet as a mouse.”? A simile uses like or as. The second sentence uses as. Answer: She was as quiet as a mouse.

Word Pictures in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 14 of 21 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Media Messages and before Plan Your Writing.

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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

    Which sentence is a metaphor?

    • The tree was a giant.
    • The tree was tall.
    • The tree was like a giant.

  2. Question 2

    Which word is the strongest verb? The mouse ___ across the floor.

    • moved
    • scurried
    • went

  3. Question 3

    “The moon is a silver coin.” What does this metaphor tell you?

    • The moon is round and shiny.
    • The moon is made of money.
    • The moon is very small.

  4. Question 4

    What two things are being compared? “The snow is a white blanket.”

    • snow and white
    • snow and a blanket
    • white and a blanket

  5. Question 5

    Which sentence is a metaphor?

    • The classroom was a zoo.
    • The classroom was like a zoo.
    • The classroom was noisy.

  6. Question 6

    “My brother is a night owl.” What does it mean?

    • He has feathers.
    • He sleeps all day and all night.
    • He likes to stay up late.

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