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5th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 17

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.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 5L5; 5R4 · 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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 2 of 17 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: 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

    What does this hyperbole really mean?

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

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

  2. Question 2

    What kind of figurative language is this?

    Seven slippery seals slid off the sunny rock.

    • alliteration
    • personification
    • metaphor
    • onomatopoeia

  3. Question 3

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

    Ravi is on the fence about joining the choir.

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

  4. Question 4

    What does this hyperbole really mean?

    My backpack weighs more than an elephant!

    • My backpack is very heavy.
    • My backpack is as big as an elephant.
    • My backpack is very light.
    • My backpack is empty.

  5. Question 5

    What kind of figurative language is this?

    The old car refused to start on the cold morning.

    • simile
    • personification
    • hyperbole
    • metaphor

  6. Question 6

    Which sentence uses hyperbole?

    • The old car refused to start on the cold morning.
    • Tiny turtles tumbled toward the tide.
    • The clouds were fluffy, like scoops of vanilla ice cream.
    • I've told you a million times to close the door.

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