Idiom Match Up – In context
4th /5th Standards: Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms,
adages, and proverbs
Procedures/Learning Activities:
Activity 1: INTRODUCTION TO IDIOMS
 Read either A Chocolate Moose for Dinner or My Teacher Likes to Say or another book of idioms
with literal meanings.
 Discuss the difficulties for children to understand the figurative meanings versus the literal
meanings in the context of reading
Activity 2: RECOGNIZE IDIOMS
 Hand out mentor text “FEET” and the Idioms Recording Sheet – have participants highlight
idiomatic expressions regarding “feet”
 Record idioms on recording sheet
 Guess the meaning of the idiom from the context and record in middle column
 Research to find the meaning
Activity 3: INTERPRET IDIOMS
 “I Have, Who Has…” – hand out 1-2 cards per participant. Participants listen for question, view
cards, and determine whether they have the answer or not. Keep rotating until the cards are
completed
Activity 4: EXPLAIN IDIOMS
 Pairs or triads – give an idiomatic expression – participants come up with scenarios or situations
in which using that idiom would be appropriate and inappropriate
o i.e. – “kicked the bucket” – appropriate for an animal but not for a person