"Straight from the Horse's Mouth"
"The Name of the Game"
"Once in a Blue Moon"
"It Never Rains, Only Pours"
"Tip of the Iceberg"
Introduction
Language is all around us. We use proper English, slang, idioms, and clichés daily. This lesson explores the history of our language, with some focus on significant events in history, such as the construction of the railroad. In this lesson language arts, social science, fine arts, and technology curriculums are integrated.
Subject: English
Topic: Idioms
Grade Level: Fourth
Student Lesson name and URL: ctap295.ctaponline.org/~modell/student/home.html
Standards
Addressed
Fourth through Eighth Grades
Language Arts
Content Strand: Reading
Substrand: 1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development
Goals for Substrand: Students use their knowledge of work origins and word relationships, as well as historical and literary context clues, to determine the meaning of specialized vocabulary and to understand the precise meaning of grade-level appropriate words.
Standards addressed by grade
level. For exact wording of standards click here.
Fourth--1.2
Fifth--1.5 and 1.7
Sixth--1.2 and 1.3
Seventh--1.1
Eighth--1.1 and 1.2
Instructional
Objectives
- Students will be able to explain how language developed during significant events from our past.
- Students will be able to define what an idiom is.
- Students will be able to illustrate idioms using a paint or graphics program, depicting the once literal meaning and the present expressive meanings.
- Students will be able to use idioms appropriately in a sentence.
- Students will be able to cite specific idioms and discuss their cultural and historical significance.
Student
Activities
Students will research the world of figurative language by utilizing direct instruction with the learning cycle, cooperative learning, and creative expression learning methods through technology.
Introductory
Activity
Students will begin the lesson
by downloading a copy of the pretest to complete. Upon completion
of the pretest they will read a letter written with many idioms.
With a partner they will work together to decipher the true meaning of
the letter.
After all students have had
an opportunity to work on the letter discuss the gist of what the writer
is saying. Invite students to predict from where the idioms derived.
This should lead into a discussion on the development of language.
Entertain the idea that language is developed by groups of people who assign
meanings to particular groups of words.
Enabling
Activities
Students will examine preselected
web sites to study idioms. They will complete specific assignments
relative to each web site.
Students will work on Railroad
Talk activities with partners.
Upon completion of web activities and railroad activities students will construct a project illustrating idioms using drawing and word processing programs. See sample composed by using Flying Colors Creativity Software.
Assessment
Prior to beginning the lesson the students will download and complete a pretest on idioms.
Pretest
A posttest will be given to check for understanding, download, also, by the students.
Posttest
Answer Key for tests
As the students complete the activities as specified in the lesson they will use drawing and word processing programs to design an idiom, illustrate it, use it in context, define literal and expressive meanings, and discuss historical derivation.
Rubric
Grading Scale on Final Project
Points Grade
39-35 A
34-31 B
30-27 C
26-23 D
22-0 Fail
Students will receive a pass/fail for completed activities prior to the final project. Grades for the activities prior to the final project are as follows:
Number of Activities Grade
Completed
4/4
A-100%
3/4
B-80%
2/4
C-70%
1/4
D-60%
0/4
Fail-0
Results
Special
Note
As a teacher of
a one-room school I work to develop and modify lessons so that they address
the standards in multiple grade levels. I also pick and/or devise
lessons that can be accomplished across many grade levels, with or without
peer tutoring. This is one such lesson.
Web
Resources & Supplementary Materials
Introductory
Activity
Idiom
Letter
Enabling Activity
The Idiom Connection: www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6720/
English Zone: members.home.net/kayem/idioms/idioms.html
The Australian Idiom: http://cooperfamily.ourfamily.com/idiom.htm
An Idiom a Day:
http://titania.cobuild.collins.co.uk/Idiom.html
A Bazillion Similes: http://swiftsite.com/ideabank/csmenumain.htm
Online Idiom Quiz: http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4382/idiom.html?tqskip=1
GoEnglish:
www.GoEnglish.com/2601.asp
Railroad
Talk
Glossary
of Railroad Terms
Culminating
Activity
Project
Rubric
Microsoft Word
Flying
Colors Creativity Software or Kid Pix
Terban, Marvin.
Dictionary
of Idioms. Scholastic, New York, 1996
Ewart, Neil.
Everyday
Phrases. Blandford Press Ltd., New York, 1990.
3955 Platina School Road, Platina, California 96076
Melissa O'Dell, melissaoteach@aol.com
Last Revised: 06/29/01