Week 3 Term 4- HOT Maps to define

This week our focus in writing is on Free verse poetry writing. We are also going to concentrate on similes and metaphors to colour our writing.
We started off the week using a circle map to define a simile. We used the definitions HOT keys rubric to assess our thinking as a starting point of our knowing.

This students work shows that his thinking is at the Prestructural stage. He has no idea what a simile is. I explained to him that this was fine because this was a starting point. I am really happy that the children feel safe and confident enough to be able to say that they do not have any idea.

This definition shows thinking at a Relational or Extended Abstract level. She has a good understanding of the point of comparison, that the words 'like' and 'as' are used to compare, but she is also aware that a simile compares nouns. She is able to give an example.

This is the self reflection of the student working at the Relational/Extended Abstract level of thinking. Some of the students are now automatically giving an explanation or justification for their choice of level of thinking on the rubric.


This is the rubric reflection of another student. She felt that she was making connections in her thinking at a Relational level.

When I looked at her Circle map it was clear that she did not have a clear idea of what a simile was and this showed in the example that she had given.

After working through this interactive learning on similes - this is the work that this student produced. Her understanding of what a simile is is now at a Relational level.