This week I had my reading groups get in the Valentine’s Day mood with a little talk about love!  Of course, this was met with giggling, blushing, and many awkward moments by my 5th graders, but soon enough they were on board.  We talked about the people and animals that you can love that are not a “boyfriend or girlfriend” and then they felt comfortable with it.  We have been reviewing similes and personification, and this week we learned about metaphors.  Figurative language is no easy task for a 5th grader and I was very proud of the progress that they have been making.

The students each wrote a simile, metaphor, or sentence with personification around the theme of love.  I conferenced with each student individually and they continued to draft their sentences.  When the students had successfully written an example of all three, they were able to pick their favorite one to use for display.

Now came the fun part!  We made a heart cut out from a paper plate.  This was tricky to get the hang of at first, but everyone figured it out eventually!

I made two shades of pink paint and one shade of red and the students were able to paint their plates.

When they dried, the students used permanent marker to write their sentence on the heart.  Below are the examples that I showed the class.

     

They are hanging up in the hallway and look great!  I will give them back to the students on Valentine’s Day to take home as a gift for their parents.