Similes aren’t just an English Language Arts skill—they’re a powerful instructional strategy that can transform learning across math, science, social studies, and beyond.

If you’re looking for a simple, high-impact way to increase student engagement, critical thinking, and authentic assessment, simile cards deliver.

Traditional assignments often measure memorization—not understanding. Multiple-choice tasks can’t fully reveal what students actually think or understand.

Simile cards flip that.

When students complete a prompt such as “The scientific process is like…”

…they must:

• Synthesize information
• Make connections
• Justify their thinking
• Communicate ideas clearly

That’s real learning.

👉 This is the kind of thinking emphasized in my book and workshops—moving beyond compliance to meaningful engagement and visible thinking.

Simile cards are simple visual prompts that students use to create comparisons using like or as—a core feature of similes.

Students select a card, reflect, and complete a prompt such as:

• Democracy is like…
• Fractions are like…
• A healthy lifestyle is like…

The magic happens in the explanation.

Simile cards should feature simple images that represent common objects or concepts. Your students are likely to have enough background knowledge of these images (onion, waterfall, orchestra conductor) to make comparisons to other content.

Here are some printable simile cards to get you started!

1. The Simile Draft (High Engagement, Low Prep)

• Spread cards around the room
• Give a content-based prompt
• Students select a card and explain their thinking

💡 Pro Tip: Call students in small groups to reduce chaos and increase intentional selection.

2. Simile Pairs (Collaboration + Discussion)

• Give students matching cards
• Students find their partner
• Partners create and refine a shared simile

This builds:

• Academic conversation
• Peer feedback
• Deeper reasoning

3. Student-Created Simile Cards (Ownership + Creativity)

Once students understand the process, let them create their own cards.

Options:

• Draw
• Use magazine images
• Create digitally

⚠️ Important: Focus on thinking—not artistic ability.

Here are ready-to-use examples:

ELA

• The writing process is like…
• The antagonist is like…

Math

• Order of operations is like…
• Fractions are like…

Science

• The ecosystem is like…
• The solar system is like…

Social Studies

• Democracy is like…
• The Great Depression was like…

Health / PE

• Training for a marathon is like…
• A balanced diet is like…

If you like this approach, it’s just one of many strategies I share in my book and professional development sessions.

👉 In my workshops, I show educators how to:

• Increase participation from all students
• Replace passive learning with active thinking
• Use simple tools to transform instruction immediately

Similes aren’t just a language tool—they’re a thinking tool.

And when used intentionally, they can transform any lesson into an opportunity for deeper learning.