Reading & Responding - Louisiana Department of Education

LESSON 8 - “THE QUEEN WHO CHANGED HER MIND”2Content Standard:7.4: Distinguish fact from opinion, skimming and scanning for facts, determining causeand effect, generating inquiry, and making connections with real-life situationsIntroduction toStudents:This question asks you to figure out a simile. A simile is a comparison that uses like or as.Here are some similes:• The rain poured down like water from a pitcher.• The kitten’s fur was as fluffy as cotton.• It is as hot as an oven outside!• The moon is shining like a silver dollar.An author uses a simile in order to give you a picture of what is happening in the story.A simile can also give you different feelings about what you are reading.When you read the simile that the queen’s head is buzzing like a beehive, it makesyou think of many bees making noise and flying around in a small area. How does thatpicture make you feel? Would you want to have bees buzzing in your head? When youthink about it, you can tell that it probably is not a good feeling. Knowing this will helpyou answer the question.If you answered A, B, or D, your answer is incorrect. Let’s talk about why. Reread the sentence with the simile:Her head buzzed like a beehive from thinking of so many solutions.In paragraph 5, the author uses the simile “Her head buzzed like a beehive” to showA. the queen’s hair style (What is the problem with this answer? There is nothing in the story about thequeen’s hairstyle. Reread the sentence. What makes the queen’s head buzz?)B. the noise around the queen (What is the problem with this answer? It is noisy at the castle, but that is notthe reason the queen’s head is buzzing.)C. how confused the queen was Correct. As the queen owned more land, more people came to her withtheir problems. There were large crowds with angry complaints and problems for the queen to solve. Shebecame confused from having to think of so many solutions. This is the best answer.D. pests were bothering the queen (What is the problem with this answer? The writer uses the phrase “herhead buzzed like a beehive” to show the reader how the queen felt. There are no real bees in the story.)LEAPGrade 4 | Teachers GuideELA | READING AND RESPONDING20