This is a fun lesson in which you give students permission to write some fake news (based on truth) about themselves using similes and hyperbole. They are going to write about something they are good at and make it sound as if they are great at it — like the world’s best at it.

This type of writing is the explanatory, expository, and informative writing called for in the Common Core State Standards and is just about everywhere actually. So, it’s silly, but silly writing is the basis for all those TV shows we love, right?

So, if you want the free printable or Google Slides distance learning version that guides them through this lesson and helps them get their writing down on paper, you can get it here.

Here is an example of what a final product looks like (with similes underlined):

          I am so good at rollerblading. When I rollerblade, crowds of people gather around just to see my impressive skills. You can hear people getting on their cell phones to say, “Dude, you gotta get over here and see the most amazing rollerblader I have ever seen!” People beg me for my autograph like I am a movie star or something. I am so fast, it is as if there are engines in each one of my rollerblades. I am like a jet. I even had a race with a sports car one time and I won – easily. Not only am I fast, but I can do awesome tricks. I can jump over just about any obstacle: cars, mailboxes, people, you name it. I once jumped over a tree! And flips are no problem. I make flips look so easy, it is like I am coin being tossed in the air during a coin toss. I jump up so high and do about 15 flips on the way down. And don’t even get me started on how many laps I can do at the roller rink. I can do about 1,000 laps around the roller rink in one minute. I truly am the best rollerblader on the entire planet!d

One thing I did that was fun was I held a “bragging and boasting contest.” I asked who wanted to be in the contest and did not force anyone. I read each entry out loud and kept a list going of which ones I had read. I kept their names private and didn’t say who wrote them. Then, I had students do a blind vote to decide which one was the best. Since this is silly, comedy-level writing (even though it’s Common Core), this kind of voting thing is a fun addition. But I would not suggest it for regular writing or as a regular occurrence.

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