Lesson video

Hello, super storytellers.

My name is Ms. Cashin, and welcome to this English lesson.

This is unit five and we're on lesson four.

You may have done unit four with me, when we learnt the story of the witch Baba Yaga.

In this unit, we are making our own recycled story, just like the Baba Yaga story.

But we've chosen our very own main character, we've chosen our own monster, we've chosen our own precious thing, and we've chosen the animals that are character helps along the way.

So if you were here for lessons, one, two, and three of this unit, you will know all about that already.

We've got lots to do in this lesson because we're going to be using similes for description.

You're going to learn what a simile is in our game.

So let's see what else we're going to do in this lesson, and then we'll get started with our game.

So we're going to start with our game where we find out what similes are.

Then we're going to have a go at finding some similes by reading and seeing where is the descriptive simile.

Then we're going to create our own similes about our monster.

My monster that I've chosen is a yeti.

I wonder what your monster is? I'm sure you're going to have some really, really scary similes today.

These are the things you're going to need for our lesson.

You're going to need an exercise book and some paper, and it would be fantastic if you had a plain piece of paper because we're going to draw your monster, and then some lined paper to write your similes really neatly.

You're going to need something to write with, a pen or a pencil, and you're going to need your brilliant, brilliant brain so that you can think of some brilliant descriptive similes.

So, if you need any of those things, you can pause the video now and go and get them.

Well done, super storytellers.

You are all ready for our lesson now.

Absolutely fantastic.

So let's get started with our simile game.

So, a simile is when we compare something to something else.

So we're going to do some movement in our game where I'm going to give you a simile and you're going to have to do something with your body to fit that simile.

So, can you make yourself as tall as a giraffe? Stretch yourself all the way up, so you're as tall as a giraffe, get up and go onto your tippy toes, so you are as tall as a giraffe.

Fantastic job.

So when I wanted to say that something was really tall, I can compare it to a giraffe.

Right.

Let me think about another simile.

Oh, can you make your face as round as a beach ball? Oh, I tried my best there to make my face as round as a beach ball.

So when I wanted to say that my face was round, I compared it to something else that was round.

Let me think of another simile, hmm.

Can you.

bang the table as loud as a drum? One, two, three.

Oh, that was so loud.

So when I want to say it was loud, I'd say it is loud as a drum.

I wonder if we can now bang it as quietly as a mouse.

One, two, three.

That was a bit more of a tap when it's as quiet as a mouse.

Okay, one more simile.

Oh, can you get your hands, and can you spread them on the table, so they are as flat as a pancake, really, push them down, can you get them as flat as a pancake? Oh, brilliant job.

Well done for joining in our simile game.

Right, super storytellers.

Now, that we've had to think about what similes are, and we've had a practise of moving our bodies after listening to a simile, we're going to see if we can find a simile when we do some reading.

Remember, when we read, I'm going to read it to you, and you need to get your magnet eyes on that first word.

Then I'm going to ask you to pause the video, and see if you can find the simile.

Remember, a simile is when we compare something to something else.

So, it might use the word as or like.

So I could say, he was as tall as a giraffe, or I could say, he was tall like a giraffe.

Either way, my reader will be thinking, wow, I can really imagine how tall that character is.

So, let's look at the two monsters or the two baddies that we are going to be finding similes about in our reading.

Our first passage is about the big, bad wolf.

I'm going to read it, put your magnet eyes on the first word once.

Here we go.

Once upon a time, there was a big, bad wolf.

His eyes were green, his tail was long and his teeth were as sharp as knives.

I've really described the wolf, well there, I think.

So I've told us about his eyes, his tail, and his teeth.

But where is the simile? Can you pause the video, read it again independently, and see if you can find by putting your finger on the simile and then press play again when you have found it.

Did you find the simile? Let's see.

There it is.

His teeth were as sharp as knives.

So, as a reader, I'm thinking, my goodness, a knife is so sharp.

If teeth are that sharp, he must be a terrifying wolf.

Well done if you spotted our descriptive simile.

Let's have a look at our next passage.

Oh, this one is about Baba Yaga, the witch that we learned all about in unit four.

I'm going to read, get your magnet eyes on Baba.

Here we go.

Baba Yaga lived in a crooked cottage, deep in the forest.

Her eyes were like small black stones, and her hair was wild and wiry.

Okay, I've told you where she lives.

I've told you about her eyes and I've told you about her hair.

So, I've described Baba Yaga in lots of ways there.

But where is the simile? Pause the video and put your finger on the simile, by reading it back to yourself and then press play when you have found it.

Did you find the simile? Let's see.

There it is.

Her eyes were like small, black stones.

If I said her eyes were small, that gives me some description.

If I said there were black, that again gives me some idea.

But small black stones, I can really imagine them.

Small, and round and kind of expressionless in her face.

So I really like that simile.

Now, you're going to watch me draw and then label my monster, and then you're going to draw and label your own monster.

So here's my picture of my monster, the yeti.

But remember, you will have a different monster for your story.

And I actually started him earlier, so I'm almost finished.

I'm just going to make sure his hair is really grey and wild.

His teeth are sharp.

He's got a big, long beard, his sharp claws.

Oh and I need to finish off his enormous hairy feet.

Now, I've done mine in black and white because I've just used a pencil, but you could spend as long on your monster as you like, getting all those details in.

So, I've thought really carefully about his face, his lips, his teeth, his flaring nostrils, his sharp talons.

And I've also made him look really big and powerful.

Right, before I go and do my similes.

I got to think about some adjectives to describe parts of my monster.

And then I'm going to think about things that I could compare that to.

So I'm going to have a look at all his arms. He's definitely got powerful arms. So I'm going to put powerful here.

Powerful arms. What can I say it's powerful like? Oh, the wind is powerful.

So maybe I could say powerful like the wind.

Especially if he's smashing things with them.

Powerful as, oh maybe a mountain.

Is the mountain powerful? It's definitely enormous.

I could say he's enormous like a mountain, I quite like that.

So put enormous, like a mountain.

Enormous maybe like a bus, a bus is really big, especially a double-decker bus.

Powerful, oh I could have powerful, like maybe a tornado instead of the wind.

So I've got some ideas here.

I want to have a look now at his legs.

They are thick.

Thick strong legs.

So I can say thick like, oh what's something that's big and round, and maybe a tree trunk, thick like a tree trunk.

That really gives me an idea how big his legs are.

Maybe thick like a boulder, an enormous stone.

Okay.

He's got sharp claws here, and on his hands.

So, sharp.

What can I compare? Oh, I know, knives, 'cause we had that before, didn't we? Sharp like knives, maybe glass.

Oh, something else that's sharp is nails.

So I thought about his powerful arms, his enormous body, his thick legs, his sharp claws or his sharp teeth, maybe.

Well what about his black eyes? I know we had like stones earlier, so I could have that again.

Like we had for Baba Yaga.

Maybe like coal.

Because coal is always black.

Or like buttons.

And all these things quite emotionless, because his eyes are just completely black.

So I thought about some key things that I want to include in my description and some possible things that I could compare them to in a simile.

And then when I write my similes, I can choose the things which are my favourite.

Right, super storytellers.

Now it's time for you to draw your monster.

And remember, if you did lesson one and two of this unit, you will have thought about what your monster was going to be then.

Once you've done that think of three or four adjectives and different things that you can compare them to so that you're ready to make some really great choices for your simile.

So pause the video now to go and do that.

Well done, super storytellers.

We are all ready to write our similes now.

So you are going to watch me write a simile about my monster, and then you're going to have a go at writing your very own simile.

Now I'm ready to write my similes and I'm going to use my picture to help me.

So I'm going to have a think about some of the comparisons, which I thought worked the best.

Oh, I really liked thick and tree trunks.

I thought that worked really well together.

So my first simile is going to be the yeti's legs were as thick as tree trunks.

I'm going to say it again so I remember it.

The yeti's legs were as thick as tree trunks.

Okay.

Here I go.

The yeti.

Capital T for the beginning of my sentence.

The yeti.

And it's going to be the yeti's legs, they're his legs, they belong to him, so I need my possessive apostrophe before the S.

The yeti's legs were, it's one of our tricky words.

W-e-r-e.

We just need to know it.

The yeti's legs were as thick as tree trunks.

Full stop.

I'm going to read it back to myself.

The yeti's legs were as thick as tree trunks.

Oh, fantastic.

I'm really, really pleased with that sentence.

Let me have a look at what I'm going to use next.

So I've got sharp, powerful.

I really like powerful like a tornado 'cause it sounds violent and frightening.

Instead of just saying he had arms as powerful as a tornado.

I'm going to think about a tornado moving, 'cause a tornado moves around.

I'm going to say he whirled his arms powerfully like a tornado.

So I'm going to think about how he moved his arms. He whirled his arms powerfully like a tornado.

So he whirled.

He whirled his arms, his arms. Powerfully like a tornado.

Like a tornado.

And I've got my full stop.

I'm going to read it back.

Capital letter there, he whirled his arms powerfully like a tornado.

Fantastic.

I'm really happy with my similes.

I really like black eyes and coal.

So I'm going to say, his eyes were as black as coal.

His eyes.

Here we go.

His, capital H.

His eyes were, another one of my tricky words, were as black, or I could have two adjectives, I could say were as black and as round as coal.

Were as black and as round, r-ou-n-d, as coal.

Full stop, I'm going to read it back.

His eyes were as black and as round as coal.

I am really pleased with my similes now.

And I just know that you're going to write some amazing similes as well.

So now you need to write three similes to describe your monster and remember to use your picture to help you.

I've got two sentence stems here to help you.

So you've got as hmm as a hmm and hmm like a hmm.

So I can say the yeti had eyes as black as coal.

Or, the yeti had eyes black, like coal.

So you can think about whether you want to use as or like in your simile.

But pause the video now so that you can go and write your three amazing similes.

Well done super storytellers.

You have done such fantastic descriptive writing today.

Here's my challenge.

I wonder if you have the energy for a challenge task.

I have got three similes here, but I wonder if you can spot the silly simile, the one where I've compared it to something that doesn't really make sense.

Here are my three similes.

I'm going to read them.

Get your magnet eyes on the first word she.

She was as brave as a lion.

His eyes were black like a beach.

The drum was loud and rumbling like thunder.

I've got three similes there.

You can pause the video now, and see if you can put your finger on the silly simile.

Well done for doing our challenge.

Did you find the silly simile? It was the middle one.

His eyes were black like a beach.

Beaches aren't usually black.

It doesn't really make me think about a beach.

So that was a silly simile.

Not a good thing to compare it to.

I would love to see some of the simile work that you have done today.

Especially cause they're about your terrifying monster.

So I would love it if some of you could share your work with Oak National.

If you'd like to, please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, tagging @OakNational and #LearnwithOak.

In our next lessons we're going to carry on thinking about our very own recycled story and getting ready to write it up ourselves.

You'll have your very, very own story.

I can't wait, and I hope to see you then.

Bye.