Teacher notes for this lesson. Two sides of A4, not for pupils.Mild sheetMedium sheetSpicy sheetAnswers
Teacher notes · not for pupils Writer's craft sequence

Spill the Beans

Idioms: sayings that don't mean what they say

Lesson 7 of 12
Year 4 45 min

Objective

Explain the real meaning of common idioms, tell it apart from the literal picture in the words, and use an idiom where its meaning fits.

Board title: Idioms  ·  Say it: “By the end of today you'll be able to explain what an idiom really means, and use one where it fits.”

Curriculum

  • Y3/4: reading — discussing words and phrases that capture the reader's interest and imagination
  • Y5/6: figurative language (introduced here)
  • FS L1/L2: reading — language features (built on)
  • Terminology: idiom · literal · figurative · meaning

Success criteria

  • spot an idiom in a sentence
  • say what it really means
  • tell the picture from the meaning
  • use an idiom in the right place

Key vocabulary

idiom · literal · figurative · meaning · saying · picture

Run of the lesson

4 min
Starter on the board: Soup is a piece of cake. against Soup is very easy to make. Is there cake in the soup? One minute of paired talk.
8 min
Model Example 1 and 2. For every idiom, draw the picture first, then write the real meaning beside it.
6 min
The trap: Over the moon: in space. Picture it, then ask what people really mean. Swap it for very happy together.
6 min
Flavour Match on the whiteboard, Medium band, Level 8 then Level 9. Picture it first, then find the meaning.
18 min
Worksheet, independent. Task 2 needs careful reading; ask pupils to say each idiom's meaning before deciding if it fits.
3 min
Plenary: Polpetta and the tin of beans, then the class quiz for IDIOD on the board.
On screenSPAGhetti → Flavour Match → Medium. Play Level 8 (what does it really mean?) then Level 9 (finish the idiom); both are open from the start. ~10 items in 6 minutes with discussion.
SPAGhetti · Writer's craft sequence · Lesson 7 of 12  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils Spill the Beans · side 2

On the day

If the tech failsSkip the game. Give pairs an idiom card. One draws the literal picture, the other writes the real meaning; the class guesses the idiom from the drawing. The lesson works with no screen at all.
If they're on devicesLesson code IDIOD (on the worksheet footer) opens Flavour Match on Medium, with the two idiom levels open. For writing, set Cook Up a Story and ask for one idiom used where it fits.

Misconceptions to watch for

Taking it literally. Many pupils, and especially autistic pupils, read idioms literally at first. That is a sensible reading, not a mistake to laugh at. Teach the picture and the meaning side by side, explicitly.

Changing the words. Raining dogs and cats. A slice of cake. Idioms are fixed; change a word and it stops being the saying. Learn them as a whole.

Right idiom, wrong place. I lost my dog, so I'm over the moon. The idiom is real but its meaning does not fit. Say the meaning in its place and check: I lost my dog, so I'm very happy?

Idioms work everywhere. Idioms are informal. They suit a story or a chat, not a report or a formal letter. Ask where the writing is going before using one.

The three sheets

Same four tasks on every sheet, in the same order, with the same look. Only the demand changes. Print the one each child needs; nobody does two.

Mild

Same four tasks as every other sheet, same order, same look, the demand is lower, not the dignity. Shorter passage in Task 2, and in Task 3 a word bank or words to tick, with printed sentence starters. Give it to anyone who needs a way in, and expect them to move up.

Medium

The core sheet. Give this to most of the class. No word bank; in Task 3 pupils choose from a few close options, then use one in a sentence of their own.

Spicy

Same four tasks, more demand, a longer passage with a subtler error, and Task 3 asks for two things at once. Not extra work; harder work. Nobody should be doing Spicy and the Medium sheet.

Adaptive teaching

  • Support: Use picture cards: the literal picture on one side, the meaning on the other. Match the pairs before writing.
  • Stretch: Write a short conversation where one character takes every idiom literally, then explain where each misunderstanding comes from.
  • SEN: Gentle mode on. Keep a class idiom dictionary on the wall with the picture and the meaning. Teach a few at a time, explicitly, and check understanding without putting anyone on the spot.
  • EAL: Idioms are among the hardest parts of English. Invite idioms from home languages, translate them word for word, and compare: many languages have their own version of raining cats and dogs.

Play it

Lesson code IDIOD at playspaghetti.com. The code is printed on the bottom of every pupil sheet with a QR, and Class Quiz in your dashboard opens the plenary quiz for this lesson pre-picked.

SPAGhetti · Writer's craft sequence · Lesson 7 of 12  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora