Idiom Island

Hook 5 min

1. Say, very seriously: "I'm a little under the weather today, but this lesson will be a piece of cake." Then ask: "Am I standing under a cloud? Am I eating cake?"
2. "English is full of sayings that don't mean what the words say. They're called idioms. Today you explore an island made of them."

Explore 15 min

1. On the projector, tap Cloudburst Peak together. Look at the left picture, what the words say, and laugh about it. Press Hear it.
2. Read the example sentence aloud and answer the check. The real-meaning picture stays blurred until you answer, so think first.
3. Pairs explore on their own devices and earn as many stamps as they can. Push for at least six of the twelve places, like Bakery Bay, Iceberg Point and Bean Farm.
4. Circulate and ask: "What does it say? What does it mean? How did you figure it out?"

Make sense 8 min

1. "Which idioms have a picture that helps you remember the meaning? Which don't?"
2. Sort the idioms on the board into two groups: easy to guess from the words (Library Village: hit the books) and impossible to guess (Moonlight Lagoon: once in a blue moon).
3. Invite home-language idioms: "Does your language have one like these? What does it say word for word?" Translate one together and enjoy how strange it sounds in English.

Apply 8 min

1. Charades: one student acts out an idiom literally, like Horse Ranch (hold your horses), and the partner guesses it.
2. Each student writes two sentences about their own week, using two idioms correctly.

Exit check 4 min

On an index card: pick one idiom and write what the words say, what it really means, and a sentence that uses it. Cards that explain only the literal picture show who needs another round of the checks.