Summer is?Figuratively Speaking: Play With Your Words Writing ...

Pre-write

Use the chart below, or create you own to explore ways to describe summer and exercise your skills at using figurative language.

Be sure you:

• Use sensory imagery. Come up with words or phrases that describe the shape and color of summer, how it sounds, tastes, smells, feels, and what it looks like.
• Write a simile for summer. Remember a simile is a phrase that uses one thing to explain what another is like?for example: The scotch broom on the hillside is as yellow as pollen. (It?s still allergy season for me. My eyes itch as I type this.)
• Write a metaphor. Remember a metaphor is a phrase that says one thing is something else it really is not, in order for you to apply that second thing to your understanding of the first. (I apologize for the convoluted sentence! Let?s try an example to show you what I mean?My eyes are leaky faucets. But no, rest assured I?m not crying. It?s just their reaction to all that pollen.

Write

Using the words and phrases, write a paragraph describing summer. Make it a richly detailed paragraph that would assist the reader in ?experiencing? your version of summer as they read it. Make it at least five sentences long.

Share

When done, read what you?ve written with your writing partners. Compliment one another on the creativity and the strengths of your descriptive words and phrases. Or, consider sharing it here as a comment. It will probably be the only positive taste of summer I?ll be able to enjoy for at least another week!

Preschool Literacy:

Pre-write

Get out pen or pencil and paper and using the prompts above, ask your preschooler to describe summer?(or even just ?today?). Write down everything she says.

Write

Choose an image from the list and cut out a big shape. Transfer your child?s words onto the shape.

Share When you are done, read back what he said, pointing to the words as you say them to reinforce the one to one correspondence between written and spoke word. Hang this summer reflection somewhere others in the household can enjoy it.

josh turner barnaby barnaby the cabin in the woods the cabin in the woods trace adkins the darkest hour