Celebrate Grandparents’ Day with a meaningful and creative literacy task that blends craft, writing, and figurative language. This engaging spin wheel activity supports students in constructing similes to describe someone special in their life — perfect for honouring grandparents or another loved one.

Students create a personalised spinner using the prompt “My grandparents are…” (or alternative variations), completing similes such as “as warm as a hug” or “as sweet as honey.” With built-in differentiation, every student can access and succeed while developing confidence in using similes.

This teacher resource includes:

Differentiated Planning Sheets (3 Levels):

• Open-ended: Students generate 8 of their own adjectives (e.g. gentle) and brainstorm matching nouns (e.g. feather, kitten)
• Supported: Students are given 8 adjectives and brainstorm 6 matching nouns for each (multiple options for their spinner)
• Scaffolded: Students are given 8 adjectives and brainstorm 3 matching nouns for each

Spin Wheel Templates (Differentiated):

• Pre-filled templates with 8 adjectives and sentence starters (e.g. as kind as, as gentle as)
• Blank templates for full student choice and creativity

Inclusive Prompt Options:

• My grandparents are…
• My grandparent is…
• My ______ is… (for students choosing to honour another special person)

Teacher Sample:

• A completed example demonstrating what a strong final product looks like
• Ready to print, cut, and construct (colouring and writing already completed)

Perfect for explicit teaching of similes in a meaningful context, built-in differentiation to support a range of learners, combines writing, vocabulary building, and craft, encourages student voice and personal connection and is ideal for classroom displays or take-home gifts.

A purposeful, low-prep activity that helps students create something heartfelt—while strengthening their understanding of figurative language.

Format: PDF

Aligned to Australian Curriculum Outcome: Identify authors’ use of vivid, emotive vocabulary, such as metaphors, similes, personification, idioms, imagery and hyperbole. (AC9E6LA08)

Gifted and Talented Teacher creates teacher resources designed to lighten the load and classroom decor that lifts the room.