Grade 4 · Week 11figurative language
The School Garden Harvest
Students read a narrative passage about a fourth-grade class harvesting vegetables, then answer 5 multiple-choice questions identifying and interpreting similes, metaphors, and idioms, with teacher and homeschool guidance included.
On screen - your kid, alone
- 1Day 1 - Meet the story
- 2Day 2 - Word work
- 3Day 3 - What it means
- 4Day 4 - Fix & re-read
- 5Day 5 - Show what you know
Offline - with you
Print the pages for offline work together; the answer key is for you.
Before reading, tell your child that authors often use phrases that don't mean exactly what the words say, and their job today is to be a "language detective" who figures out what those phrases really mean. As you read together, pause at lines like "the September sun was beating down like a drum" or "his stomach was a growling bear" and ask, "What is the author really trying to show us here?" A strong answer connects the phrase to a real feeling or image — for example, that the sun felt loud, steady, and hot, or that Jordan was very hungry. Then ask your child to spot the difference between a simile (uses *like* or *as*), a metaphor (says one thing IS another), and an idiom (a common saying like "spill the beans" or "piece of cake"). If your child gets stuck, reread the sentence and ask, "Could this really happen exactly like the words say?" — noticing it can't is usually the clue that the language is figurative. Celebrate guesses that are close, then help them refine the meaning by pointing back to what's happening in the story at that moment.
The School Garden Harvest
The September sun was beating down like a drum on Room 12's school garden. Mr. Alvarez's fourth graders had been waiting weeks for this morning, and now the wheelbarrows were lined up, ready to roll. Today, every vegetable they picked would travel straight to the Maple Street Food Pantry. Maya knelt between two leafy rows and gently twisted a tomato from its vine. It was as red as a fire truck and warm against her palm. "Look at this one!" she called to her partner, Diego. Diego grinned, holding up a zucchini nearly the length of his arm. "This thing is a baseball bat," he said, pretending to swing. The class laughed, and even Mr. Alvarez chuckled as he wiped sweat from his forehead with a checkered handkerchief. Not far away, Priya was crouched near the bean teepees, her fingers moving quickly through the curling vines. She had been quiet all morning because she was hiding a secret: the principal was planning a surprise pizza lunch for the whole class once they finished. Priya pressed her lips together, determined not to spill the beans. But when Jordan asked why she kept smiling at her shoes, she nearly burst. "You'll see," she whispered, which only made everyone more curious. By mid-morning, Jordan's stomach was a growling bear. He had skipped breakfast, and the smell of fresh basil and sun-warmed earth wasn't helping. "How much longer?" he groaned, dragging a basket of peppers toward the gate. "We're all in the same boat," Maya reminded him, wiping dirt across her cheek. "Keep going. The pantry is counting on us." That thought seemed to give everyone a second wind. They picked faster, sorting tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and squash into labeled crates. Mr. Alvarez watched them work and shook his head, amazed. "You know," he said, "I thought organizing this harvest would be tricky, but with this team, it was a piece of cake." When the delivery truck finally pulled away, the students stood at the curb, dusty and proud. Maya nudged Diego. "Somewhere, a family is going to eat dinner because of us." Diego nodded slowly. He didn't say anything, but his smile stretched ear to ear. Behind them, the garden rested quietly, already dreaming of next year's seeds.
What this lesson checks
- Word meaning: Read this sentence from the passage: "By mid-morning, Jordan's stomach was a growling bear." What does this phrase most likely mean?
- Text evidence: Find one sentence from the story that uses a simile to describe something in the garden. Copy the sentence exactly, and explain what the simile means.
- Word meaning: In paragraph 3, the passage says Priya was "determined not to spill the beans." What does the idiom "spill the beans" mean in this story?
- Word meaning: Diego holds up a large zucchini and says, "This thing is a baseball bat." What type of figurative language is this, and what does it mean?
- Context evidence: When Jordan complains about being hungry, Maya tells him, "We're all in the same boat." In 2-3 sentences, explain what Maya means by this and how the rest of the paragraph helps you figure it out. Use details from the passage to support your answer.