Idioms

Subject: English as an Additional Language
Level: Primary
Age Group: General
Order Number: 5246

This resource is geared around raising student awareness of idioms, what they mean and their origins. It can be used by pupils aged 7-16 of all abilities, using different activities to explore and investigate idioms. English as an Additional Language students, who have particular difficulty understanding idiomatic phrases, will find this resource very useful.

In the National Literacy Strategy: Framework for teaching an idiom is defined as 'a phrase often used by a group of people which is not meant literally. Its meaning is understood by the people who use it, but cannot be inferred from knowledge of the individual words'. There are so many idioms that idioms associated with animals, body, colour and food have been focused upon, although other examples of idioms are given.

Contained in this pack are matching and/or self-correcting activities on body, food, animal and colour idioms. There are five activities investigating idioms, extension work on idioms, and a multiple-choice activity. Two cloze exercises aid understanding of idioms. The answers are supplied. Display sheets, when enlarged, provide an ideal, yet simple, classroom display resource, which can be used to aid memory and to help understand the idioms. They can be used to stimulate students to produce their own idioms in pictorial form.

With clear links to the National Strategy for Literacy and Learning these materials provide a useful additional approach to supporting pupils' learning.