For this activity, I gave each student a small plastic bag full of objects —things like an Frankenstein eraser, a paper clip, a crumpled post-it note, a jolly rancher, etc. Students pulled out their object, described it using adjectives, and then wrote one simile and one metaphor based on what they noticed. The hands-on part made the activity more engaging, and the real objects helped students come up with more detailed and creative descriptions.

I collected their work as an exit ticket to see how well they could apply figurative language on their own. The student work shows how they were able to describe their object and turn their ideas into similes and metaphors. This lesson worked really well because it combined writing, observation skills, and creativity, and it gave me a clear look at what each student understood.