I LOVE Christmas. It is my favorite holiday, and it is my favorite time of year in school. The students are always excited, we decorate a classroom tree, and our school Christmas program is quite the big deal. If I can find a way to incorporate Christmas into meaningful activities that engage my students, then I will.
Exhibit A: Using How the Grinch Stole Christmas to reinforce similes & metaphors.
This activity is for use when you have already taught similes and metaphors to your students. I teach those two types of figurative language along with hyperbole, idioms, and personification. We usually take about two weeks to read and practice these literary devices.
It's a well known fact in my room that we don't watch a lot of movies, and any movie we do watch must have some kind of significance to what we are learning in class. Not only is this movie appropriate for the activity, but since I use the original cartoon version, a lot of the students have seen it and it is not very long-- only about 20 minutes. The students get a kick out of seeing the old animation.
I give the students a list of the song lyrics to "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," and beside each line where there is a simile or metaphor, the students have the choice to mark it with an S (for simile) or an M (for metaphor). Aside from completing a meaningful assessment of similes and metaphors, the students are also enjoying learning all of the hilarious and wacky lyrics to this famous song.
The end of the lyrics sheet includes a space for the students to write their own similes and metaphors for the Grinch.
You can download the lyrics sheet below and use this holiday season-- it's great for your students and also for impressing your friends at your holiday parties.
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