Part 1: Lesson Description

Title

Literal and Non-literal Meanings of Words and Idioms

Abstract

In this lesson, students will distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of verbal and written
content in different contexts. The lesson targets adult learners of English who have
demonstrated Grades 3- 4 or B-C reading level. Learners will demonstrate an understanding of
idioms by using context clues in the sentences to help figure out the meanings of idioms, by
drawing out idioms without using words or letters, by giving written tips using idioms, and by
creating greeting cards.
Learner Audience / Primary Users

Teachers and Students

Educational Use

● Curriculum/Instruction
● Assessment, Mini-Lesson, Professional Development, Home School, Informal Education

Level

Adult Education

Grade Level

CCRS Grade Level B (3): Beginning Basic Education Literacy

CCRS Grade Level C (4): Basic Education Literacy

Domain

English Language Arts/Literacy

Strand 4

Language

Standard

L3.5a;L4.5b
CCRS Anchor 5: Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

a. Distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take
steps).

b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms.

Language

English

Material Type

● Instructional Material
● Teaching and Learning Strategies
● Assessments
● Images

Learning Goals

The purpose of this lesson is for the Beginning Basic Education learner to:

● decipher the literal and non-literal meanings of idioms

Keywords

● Designers for Learning

● Adult Education
● Figurative Meaning
● Figurative Language
● Idiom

Time Required for Lesson

● 30 minutes

Prior Knowledge

● At least a Grade 3 Reading Level

● Beginning Basic Education level of literacy skills in English

Required Resources
 ● Practicing Idioms worksheet (Print a class set) and answer key
● Idiom Matching cards (Print one set for every two students)
● Greeting Card sample and template ( Print a template for each ‘advanced’ student)
● Pens/pencils
● 8.5” X 11” cardstock or construction paper (Print class set)
● Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
● A bucket, a sheet of paper and one pair of scissors, cup of milk, bedsheets (optional)
● Computer, projector, and Internet (optional)

Handouts

Download: ​IDIOM MATCHING CARDS_2.pdf

Download: ​PracticingIdiomsWorksheet_1.pdf

Download: ​Greeting Card Template_1.pdf

Download: ​PracticingIdioms_AnswerKey (1).pdf

Lesson Author & License

● Author: Ms. Alex Elrington

● License: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license

Part 2: Lesson
Learning Objective

By the end of this lesson, the adult learners should be able to:

● interpret idioms by using context clues in the sentences with 70% accuracy
● draw idioms without using words or letters with 100% accuracy
● construct written tips using idioms with 70% accuracy
● make a greeting card using an idiom with 100% accuracy

Lesson Topic

● ELA/Reading/Literacy
Context Summary

Often learners know what a stand-alone word means; however, once a word is paired with other
words to create phrases or sentences, then s/he struggles to make sense of the meaning. S/he
may understand "fly" and "kite" but may find the phrase, "Oh, go fly a kite," puzzling. In this
lesson, learners will distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of concepts in different
contexts. Learners will demonstrate an understanding of idioms by using context clues in the
sentences to help decipher the meanings of idioms, by drawing out idioms without using words
or letters, by giving written tips using idioms, and by creating a greeting card.

Relevance to Practice

Every culture has a wide array of sayings or advice to describe the particulars of everyday life.
Without an awareness and understanding of these expressions or idioms, English Language
Learners (ELL) are often at a disadvantage. For example, an illiterate ELL adult may know what
“nail” or “head” means, but s/he may not know that “to hit the nail on its head” means to do
something exactly right. Therefore, illiteracy among adults is not solely a reading problem, but is
an issue of comprehending culture-based figurative expressions. By learning English idiomatic
expressions, learners can begin to speak and understand English like native speakers.

Key Terms and Concepts

● Context ​is the situation in which something happens.

● Literal meaning​ refers to the normal, everyday, most basic meaning of the word.
● Non-literal meaning​ is when a word means something other than its normal, everyday
meaning.
● Figurative language ​is when you use a word or phrase that does not have its normal,
everyday, literal meaning.
● Idiom​ is a phrase or saying that has a meaning that is very different from the individual
words that makeup the phrase or saying.
● Interpretation​ is an explanation.

Warm-Up

Time: 3 minutes

● Post any ​two​ idioms on the board: ‘kick the bucket,’ ‘cut corners,’ ‘hit the sheets,’ and
‘cry over spilled milk.’ Model reading aloud then acting out the two idioms. Use props if
available.
● Say: “Word and phrases can have literal or non-literal meanings. A ​literal​ meaning is
when a word or phrase is used exactly as it is defined. A ​non-literal​ meaning is when the
meaning of a word or phrase takes on a special meaning.”
● Explain the literal and non-literal meanings of the ​two​ idioms.

Example​ ​1​ : When someone says, “Grandpa kicked the bucket last night. I’m still in shock.”
‘Kicked the bucket' (non-literal meaning) means someone died (literal meaning)

Example​ ​2​ : When an author writes, “Lucy worked 14 hours in the factory. She hit the sheets as
soon as she came home,” ‘hit the sheets (hay)’ (non-literal meaning) means to go to bed right
away (literal meaning).

Example 3​ : When you read, “The chef cuts corners (non-literal meaning) when making seafood
salad. He uses canned tuna instead of fresh tuna. ‘Cut corners’ means to do something in the
easiest or cheapest way by skipping something important (literal meaning).

Example 4​ : John was upset because he missed his flight, but I told him it’s no use crying over
spilled milk. ‘Cry over spilled milk’ means being upset over something that has already
happened and cannot be changed.

● Emphasize that good readers and speakers of English must be able to figure out meaning
idioms using clues from what was said or written before or after an idiom is spoken or
written.

Introduction

Time: 1 minute

● Say: “Today you will figure out the meanings of words and idioms:
● by using context clues in sentences
● by drawing out idioms without using words or letters
● by giving written tips using idioms
● by creating a greeting card.”

Presentation / Modeling / Demonstration

Time: 5 minutes

● Say: “An idiom is a saying that has both a literal (exact) and figurative (understood)
meaning. An idiom is a type of figurative language, a word or phrase that does not have
its everyday, exact meaning.”
● Say: Let’s watch the short video called Confessions of an Idiom. It’s about a two
characters who use idioms in a funny way. Raise your hand each time you hear an idiom
you’ve heard before.
● Play the video, ​Confessions of an Idiom.
● Say: “You are going study idioms we use everyday.”

Guided Practice

Time: 11 minutes
 ● Say: “An idiom is a saying that has both a literal (exact) and figurative (understood)
meaning. An idiom is a type of figurative language, a word or phrase that does not have
its everyday, exact meaning. Idioms change depending on culture, time, and situation.”
● Prompt learners to share about idioms they recognized in the video. When did they hear it
before, who said it, and why was it said?
● Say: When someone says, “Keep an eye on the baby.” You don’t really take your eye out
and place it on the baby. This just means that you should watch the baby, making sure it
doesn’t hurt itself.
● Ask: “Who has heard the expression, ‘add fuel to the fire’ ?”
● Reiterate: “‘To add fuel to the fire’ means to make a situation worst than it already is.”
● Say: “The doctor was exhausted. He worked around the clock in the Emergency Room.’
What phrase is the idiom? What does it mean?
● Reiterate, “‘To work around the clock’ means to work all the time or for 24 hours
straight.”
● Say: “There are over 4000 idioms in the English language. Sometimes the words in the
idioms are clues about the meaning. Often they’re not, and so, overtime, you have to
memorize the idioms used most often.”
● Give each learner a copy of the ​Practicing Idioms​ worksheet.
● Have learners work independently or in pairs.
● Review the answers, clarifying any confusion. Ask questions that provoke deeper
comprehension like:
●
○

○ What is the best idiom to use in this situation?

○ What does the idiom mean? How did you determine the non-literal meaning of
the idiom ?
○ Have you or a family member used this idiom in the past? When? Why?
○ Do you have similar saying in your country?

Evaluation

Time: 10 minutes

● (Low-Mid) Matching Game: Cut out the Idiom Matching cards. Shuffle and place face
down on a flat surface. Each player takes turns flipping two cards over at a time. If a
match is made, keep the cards. If a match is not made, flip the cards back over. The player
to make the most matches wins.
● (Advanced) Greeting Cards: In this product-driven activity, the instructor explains that
idioms are often advice passed down through time. S/he posts a list of idioms mentioned
in the lesson. Learners select their favorite idiom and make greeting cards. The learners
write advice using an idiom and draw a literal representation of the idiom in the card. The
instructor hands out samples of greeting cards. S/he models the card making process,
placing the literal, visual representation on the cover and the piece of advice on the inner
page.
Application

Time: 15-30 minutes ( This activity may extend into another instructional period or may used as
a homework assignment.)

● News Article or Short Story Review: In this reading activity, learners will annotate a text.
The instructor explains that idioms frequently are used by authors to capture the reader’s
attention. S/he introduces a news article, advertisement, and/or short story. S/he explains
that learners will search the texts for idioms. The class will then discuss the literal and
non-literal meaning of the idioms, the author’s purpose for the idiom, and the idioms
success/failure in the text. Learners will then create their own news article, advertisement,
or short short story using idioms.

Supplemental Resources

● The Internet TESEL Journal: Self-Study Idiom Quizzes,

http://a4esl.org/q/h/9807/km-animalidioms.html
● Learning Games For Kids,
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/vocabulary_games/idioms.html
● EReading Worksheets: Figurative Language,
http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/figurative-language/figurative-language-worksheets/f
igurative-langua ge-worksheet/

Attribution Statements

● I bend over backwards for you...!​ by ​Lisa Cyr​ is licensed under ​CC BY 2.0
● The Cavalier​ by ​Tony Alter​ is licensed under ​CC BY 2.0
● Let's compare apples and oranges​ by ​frankieleon​ is licensed under ​CC BY 2.0
● his bark is WAY worse than his bite​ by ​Amy McGibbon Lang​ is licensed under ​CC BY
2.0
● Sad Penguin​ by ​Bart M​ is licensed under an ​open license.
● Confessions of an Idiom​ created by ​Amanda Koh and and Mollie Helms​ at Ringling
College of Art and Design, originally published at https://vimeo.com/63083013 under a
CC BY 3.0​ license.

Differentiate Instruction

This lesson provides many opportunities to differentiate instruction. Included are: a whole-group
reading activity, a product-driven exercise, a written piece, a text annotation exercise, and
practice that includes predicting, visualizing, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing words
and phrases. However, instructors may also do the following in order to support learners:

● provide independent reading opportunities ( i.e ​Amelia Bedelia​ book series),

● use "What I know, what I want to know, and what I learned" (KWL) charts,
● annotate texts of increasing difficulty,
● incorporate Total Physical Response (TPR) opportunities,
● use online videos and instructional games