Printable worksheet teaching students about metaphors with examples and exercises.

It looks like you've uploaded a worksheet titled "Metaphors" from SCHOLASTIC, designed to help students understand and work with metaphors in language. Let's go through the task step by step, solve it, and explain each part.

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🔹 Task Overview

The worksheet asks students to:
1. Identify metaphors in a poem.
2. Rewrite one metaphor as a simile.
3. Write a short paragraph about a new metaphor for the poem.
4. Determine which metaphor is most effective and why.

Let’s break it down using the content provided.

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✔ Step 1: Read the Poem and Answer "What's the fuss?"

Poem:

> One time in an orange dinghy
> sailing across a calm sea
> it is a gold sun,
> dipped down a drain in Heaven.
> The boat is a yellow beach ball,
> bobbed high on the summer sky.
> It is a red floating pear,
> one sheet of pink paper
> cut into a sixth birthday cake cup
> floating in a puddle.

We are told: *"This poem uses metaphors. The first one can be found in this poem."* But let's find all of them.

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🔍 Identifying Metaphors

A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things by stating one is the other (without using "like" or "as").

Let’s analyze each line:

1. "One time in an orange dinghy" – Descriptive, not a metaphor.
2. "sailing across a calm sea" – Not a metaphor.
3. "it is a gold sun, dipped down a drain in Heaven."
→ This is a metaphor: "it" (the sun) is being compared to a gold sun — but more importantly, the sun is described as being dipped down a drain in Heaven, implying the sun is a physical object being lowered into a celestial sink. This is poetic and metaphorical.
✔ Metaphor: *The sun is like a gold coin dropped into a heavenly drain.*

4. "The boat is a yellow beach ball, bobbed high on the summer sky."
→ Direct comparison: boat = yellow beach ball
✔ Metaphor: *The boat is a yellow beach ball.*

5. "It is a red floating pear,"
→ "It" likely refers to the boat again. Comparing the boat to a red floating pear.
✔ Metaphor: *The boat is a red floating pear.*

6. "one sheet of pink paper / cut into a sixth birthday cake cup / floating in a puddle."
→ This is describing the boat again, now as a pink paper cup from a birthday cake, floating in a puddle.
✔ Metaphor: *The boat is a pink birthday cake cup.*

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📝 So, the metaphors are:

1. The sun is a gold sun dipped down a drain in Heaven.
2. The boat is a yellow beach ball.
3. The boat is a red floating pear.
4. The boat is a pink birthday cake cup.

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✔ Step 2: Rewrite one metaphor as a simile

Simile uses "like" or "as" to compare.

Choose one metaphor, e.g.,
👉 *The boat is a yellow beach ball.*
→ Simile version: The boat is like a yellow beach ball.

Or:
👉 *The boat is a pink birthday cake cup.*
→ Simile: The boat is like a pink birthday cake cup.

✔ Example answer:
"The boat is like a yellow beach ball bobbing on the summer sky."

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✔ Step 3: Pick a scene from the poem and write a short paragraph explaining what it means by the description.

Let’s pick:
> *"The boat is a yellow beach ball, bobbed high on the summer sky."*

Paragraph:

This metaphor paints a vivid picture of the boat floating peacefully on the water. By comparing the boat to a yellow beach ball, the poet suggests it is small, bright, and playful—just like a toy children use at the beach. The phrase “bobbed high on the summer sky” adds whimsy, as if the boat is not just on the water but dancing up into the air, blending sea and sky. It creates a sense of lightness, joy, and freedom, making the moment feel magical and carefree. The image evokes childhood fun and the warmth of summer.

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✔ Step 4: Which of the metaphors in the poem seems most effective to you? Why?

Let’s choose:
👉 *"The boat is a pink birthday cake cup floating in a puddle."*

Why it's effective:

This metaphor is especially powerful because it combines innocence, celebration, and impermanence. A birthday cake cup is associated with joy, childhood, and special moments. But placing it in a puddle—a temporary, muddy, ordinary place—creates a contrast between celebration and reality. It suggests that even joyful moments are fleeting and fragile, like a party cup left behind after the party ends. The imagery is unexpected and emotionally rich, making the reader reflect on the beauty and transience of life.

Alternatively, another strong choice could be:
👉 *"The sun is a gold sun dipped down a drain in Heaven."*
This is surreal and poetic—it turns the sun into a divine object being drained away, suggesting the end of day or the mystery of nature. It’s mysterious and imaginative.

But the birthday cake cup metaphor stands out for its emotional depth and creativity.

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✔ Final Answers:

#### 1. Identify metaphors:
- The sun is a gold sun dipped down a drain in Heaven.
- The boat is a yellow beach ball.
- The boat is a red floating pear.
- The boat is a pink birthday cake cup.

#### 2. Rewrite one as a simile:
> The boat is like a yellow beach ball bobbing on the summer sky.

#### 3. Paragraph explanation (example):
> The metaphor “The boat is a yellow beach ball, bobbed high on the summer sky” makes the boat seem joyful and playful. It’s not just floating—it’s bouncing like a toy, full of energy and color. The idea of it being “on the summer sky” blurs the line between sea and sky, creating a dreamlike scene. It shows how the poet sees the world through wonder and imagination.

#### 4. Most effective metaphor:
> The metaphor “The boat is a pink birthday cake cup floating in a puddle” is the most effective because it blends innocence and melancholy. It turns a simple boat into a symbol of a once-celebrated moment now fading, reminding us that joy is often brief and beautiful. Its unexpected imagery makes it memorable and emotionally resonant.

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