What Are Idioms?

Lesson Plan
Name: Ashley Storey
Subject: English Language Arts
Lesson Objectives

Grade: 6
Planned Lesson Date: 4/24/2014

Students will be able to identify idioms in the English

language.
Students will be able to explain the meanings of idioms.
Students will create visual displays to represent idioms.

Natl / State Standards

AL College & Career
Ready Course of
Study - Common
Core
Learning Target

Alabama Standards:
Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.
[L.6.5a]
Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images,
music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify
information. [SL.6.5]
Learning Targets: I can identify idioms.
I can explain the meanings of idioms.

Pre-Instructional
Activities
Vocabulary

Teaching
Direct Teaching
Graphic Organizers
Teacher
Demonstration

I can create a poster to display the meaning of a specific

idiom.
Tell them to take out a sheet of notebook paper.
Introduce the lesson by explaining that writers and
speakers often use expressions that don't mean
exactly what the words say.
Introduce the words "figurative" and "literal with
their definitions, and have them copy the definitions
on their paper.

Introduce More Parts by Tedd Arnold. I know this

book is above your reading level, but I want you to
travel back in time with me when you loved picture
books.
Model the T-chart on Promethean, write the
figurative on left side, literal meaning on write side.
Instruct students to draw the T-chart with me. Tell
them that as Im reading the text aloud, they should
write down the silly and crazy phrases they hear me
say on the left side, figurative meaning.
Read More Parts by Tedd Arnold aloud. As I read,
point out phrases that mean one thing while saying
something else. I will not say idiom yet.
As Im finished, gather the figurative crazy phrases
from the class and put them on my chart, instructing
them to add any missing ones to their own. After we
complete the left side, lead them in discussing what a
few of the figurative phrases literally mean and add
them to the right side. If it looks likes its going well,

Closure
Formative
Assessment

have them complete the rest of the second column,

literal, on their own organizers. If they are
struggling, I will go through all of them. I will float
around the room to see how students are progressing.
As they finish, introduce the word idiom and give
them a proper definition to copy down under their
T-chart.
Encourage them to think of any other idioms theyve
heard before. Discuss their figurative and literal
meanings of them.
Introduce assignment. Show them models of what I
expect for their individual assignments. Model will be
the same worksheet I give them: illustrations of
figurative vs. literal.
I will pull up a page of idioms they can choose from
and display it on the Promethean. If time permits, at
the end of class, they will present their idioms in
front of the class.
(*If there is time left over, and sometimes there is, I
have an Idiom jeopardy game we can play as a class
at: http://www.quia.com/cb/693422.html)

Materials needed:
Crayons
Markers
Colored Pencils
More Parts Book
Idiom worksheet I created
Models of worksheet
*Gather proper definitions of literal, figurative, and idiom