Memory test

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Print out about 12 pictures. Spread them on the floor face up. Give your students one minute to look at the pictures. To stop the time you can use various fun timers which will add some extra fun to the usual countdown timers. Then turn the pictures face down. Read out an idiom (written on a card) and get the students to show you where the corresponding image is. Give points for correct guesses. Always place the card on the picture when the idiom is guessed.

Presenting idioms

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1. Show your students the picture only (it's best if you can project it on the screen).
2. Get them to describe it in detail (in pairs or in groups).
3. Elicit words connected with the image and put them on the board.
4. Ask the SS if they can guess the idiom with the words they've got. Elicit answers. This stage can be fun, especially with more advanced students. They may come with sentences such as: I feel like a pair of shoes on a clothesline. :-)
5. Put the correct idiom Hang somebody out to dry on the board and discuss the literal meaning briefly.
6. Ask the SS if they can guess the figurative meaning: to punish somebody for what they did. To help the SS, give them example sentences, such as: Once I find out who's vandalized my house, I swear I'll hang them out to dry. Alternatively, you can ask questions such as: How would you feel hanging out on a clothesline? Would it be a reward or a punishment for you? Thus you'll juxtapose the literal meaning with the figurative meaning. The funny part is always with somebody as opposed to something.
7. Get your SS to discuss some questions in pairs/groups. Try to personalize the questions.
8. Have you ever hung someone out to dry for something? What did you do? Would you like to hang somebody out to dry? What for?
9. Encourage your SS to ask their own questions and share them with the class.
10. You may also want to discuss grammar, especially the irregular vs. regular form of the verb, the infinitive to-form, etc.
11. Finally, ask the SS to come up with a similar idiom in their native language. This part is very interesting and challenging.
12. As a homework assignment (or in class), the students can answer the questions in writing.

Pyramid procedure

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Print out about 12 pictures with numbers on them. Spread them on the floor and ask your students to stand up to see the pics. Use the pyramid procedure to select two idioms your students will learn in the lesson: put the students in pairs. Each pair must agree on 2 pictures they like and they should briefly discuss why. Then two pairs get together to make a group of 4 and they must agree on 2 pictures. This procedure goes on until the whole class gets together and agrees on 2 pictures. This technique increases motivation because it gives students some choice and control over their learning. Students practise speaking and justifying their opinions.

Describing and guessing





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A) After your students have learned several idioms, print out the pictures. In the class, ask one student to select a picture so that the other students can't see it. Get the student to describe the picture in detail. After about one minute, the other students can start guessing the idiom. Display the idiom next to the picture so that the class can see it. Revise the meaning quickly. Alternatively, especially with larger classes, this can be done in pairs or groups (to give students more talking time).

 

B) Ask two students to come to the board. They sit down facing the rest of the class. Display a picture on the interactive board, (screen or white board) so that the two students can't see it. The class describes the picture in detail and the two students try to guess the idiom. They should not shout out the answers; the first student to raise his/her hand can answer. Give points for correct guesses (you can also give points for partial answers). This can be played as a team game.

 

PowerPoint slide show

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After your students have learned a few idioms, make a Powerpoint slide show of about 12 pictures (without the text). In class, show the pictures one by one (each for about 10 seconds). Then ask the students to write down all the idioms they remember from the slide show. When they finish, they work in pairs and compare their answers. They correct each other's mistakes and discuss the meaning of the idioms they've got. Later, show the slides again and check the students' answers as a class. This activity is good for revision.