Unit Plan 21 (Grade 3 ELA): Introducing Figurative Language
Teach Grade 3 figurative language in 5 sessions: students identify similes & metaphors, use sensory imagery, build fluency, and write a vivid paragraph.
Grade Level: 3
Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Language)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
This week welcomes readers and writers into figurative language—specifically similes, metaphors, and sensory imagery. Students learn to tell literal vs. nonliteral language, figure out meanings in context, and notice how figurative language shapes tone, mood, and meaning. Daily fluency practice builds accuracy, phrasing, and expression when reading short poems and literary passages. By Friday, students will identify and explain figurative language in a fresh text, read it aloud with expression, and craft a short description that uses one simile or metaphor with vivid sensory details.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Distinguish literal vs. nonliteral meanings and determine what a phrase means in context.
- Identify similes and metaphors and explain how they affect a text’s meaning or tone.
- Use sensory words and precise vocabulary to create strong mental images in their own writing.
- Read short poems and passages fluently (accuracy, phrasing, expression).
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 3
- Reading Literature: RL.3.4 (determine meanings of words/phrases, including literal and nonliteral; effect on meaning/tone)
- Language: L.3.5a–c
- a. Distinguish literal and nonliteral meanings.
- b. Identify real-life connections between words and their use.
- c. Distinguish shades of meaning among related words.
- Reading Foundational Skills: RF.3.4a–c (read with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension)
Success Criteria — student language
- I can tell when a phrase is literal or nonliteral and explain what it means.
- I can find a simile or metaphor and tell how it changes the picture in my mind or the tone.
- I can read a short poem smoothly with expression that matches the words.
- I can write a one-paragraph description that uses sensory words and one simile or metaphor correctly.