Don't Take Me Literally – Nonliteral Language

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All teaching guides can be found online.

Don’t Take Me Literally – Nonliteral LanguageCongratulations on your purchase of the Really Good Literacy Center-in-a-Bag™ Don’t Take Me Literally – Nonliteral Language, a fun game that provides practice in distinguishing literal phrases from nonliteral phrases. Meeting Common Core State StandardsReally Good Stuff Don’t Take Me Literally – Nonliteral Language aligns with the following English Language Arts Standards:Craft & StructureAnchor Standard 4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and nonliteral meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.RL 3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

This Really Good Stuff product includes:•66Don’t Take Me Literally Learning Deck Cards™ •1Example of Literal vs. Nonliteral Meanings

Reference Card•1Sorting Mat Folder•1Center Task Card •This Really Good Stuff Teaching Guide

Learning to distinguish literal and nonliteral, or figurative, language opens doors for young readers. With Don’t Take Me Literally, students play a game that helps them identify, understand, and use common idiomatic expressions, the most common type of nonliteral language. Especially helpful for English language learners, the low-stress and repetitive nature of this matching and sorting game is beneficial for all students.

Managing the Center-in-a-Bag• VisitourWebsitewww.reallygoodstuff.comto

download Really Good Stuff Teaching Guides.• Displaythe Center Task Card.• Theidiomsinthedeckareinfivedifferent

colors (green, blue, purple, orange, and red). Thestudent(s)shouldworkwithjustoneortwocolored sets of Idiom Cards and their matching Literal and Nonliteral Meaning Cards at a time.

• Demonstratehowtotidythecenterwhentheactivity is complete.

• Storethecentermaterialsinthebag,andhang it alongside other Centers-in-a-Bag.

Introducing Don’t Take Me LiterallyMakesurestudentsunderstandthedifferencebetweenliteral and nonliteral language. Often, nonliteral language creativelyevokesasensoryexperience.Idiomsareonetype of nonliteral language, the most common type encountered at this reading level. Idiomatic expressions have meanings that do not rely on the literal meanings of their individual words.

Idiomatic expressions are frequently encountered in bothspokenandwrittendiscourse.Someareusedsooften (for example, “Catch you later”) that it’s easy to forget they are nonliteral language. Because idioms oftencompareunlikelythingsandarenotintendedtobeinterpreted literally, they challenge students to use their imaginationandexpandtheirwayofthinking.

The Don’t Take Me Literally Learning Deck Cards feature 22 common idiomatic expressions. For each idiomatic expression, there are three cards: the idiom and definition, the pictorial representation of its literal meaning along with a sample sentence, and the pictorial representation of its nonliteral meaning. By using these cards in a matching and sorting game, students become familiar with the idiomatic expressions and begin to recognize and use them independently.

Model the ActivityBeforehavingstudentsplaythegame,lookatexamplesofnonliterallanguagewiththem,andmakesuretheyunderstand the difference. Refer students to the Examples of Literal vs. Nonliteral Meanings Card.


Don’t Take Me Literally – Nonliteral LanguageSample discussion questions and responses for the idiom “rocktheboat”:• Whatisthenonliteralmeaningofthisphrase?

(To cause problems)• Whatistheliteralmeaningofthisphrase?(Tocausea

boat you’re in to move roughly)• Whatsenseorsenseswouldyouusetoexperiencea

rockingboat?(Feeling,sight)• Whycomparethesetwothings?(Theyareboth

examples of something that can turn out badly for a group of people.)

• Let’stalkabouttheliteralmeaningofthisphrase.Whathappenswhenyourockaboatinwhichyou’reriding?(Itmovessidetoside,andwatercangetinit.)

• Whathappensifwatergetsintheboat?(Thepeopleinthe boat might get wet. The boat might even tip over.)

• Let’stalkaboutthenonliteralmeaning,theidiom,now.Canyouthinkofanexampleinwhichsomeoneis“rockingtheboat”?(Apersonbreaksaruleinagame.)

Introduce the parts of the game. Model the game using the instructions to the right until students are familiar with it. Students may need help finding the first match and filling the first row of the sorting mat. This serves asaguideastheymakesubsequentmatches.Foradditional practice and fun, students can select an idiom and complete the Illustrate an Idiom Reproducible.

Center Task CardPost this at the literacy center in a visible position. A student or a helper can refer to the Center Task Card for instructions. Refer to the shaded section at the top of the card for center preparation, including needed materials.

Really Good Literacy Center-in-a-BagDon’t Take Me Literally - Nonliteral Language

1or2studentsObject: Distinguish literal from nonliteral language Materials: Learning Deck Cards, Sorting Mat Folder, Examples of Literal vs. Nonliteral Meanings Reference Card, Answer Key Reproducible

Directions:1. PlacetheIdiom Cards face up in a column.2. Shuffle the rest of the cards.3. Separate the Literal Meaning Cards from the

Nonliteral Meaning Cards. Lay them face down in two columns.

4.PlayConcentration:Turnoveracardincolumn1and a card in column 2. If the cards go together, move them to the first row of the sorting mat. (The cards go together if they show the literal and nonliteral meanings of the same phrase.) Use the Reference Card if you need help.

5. Find the corresponding Idiom Card and move it to the last column of the sorting mat.

6.Continuematchingandsortingthecards.7.Whenallthecardsaresorted,checkyoursort

using the Answer Key Reproducible. Move around any cards that were not matched correctly.

Related Really Good Stuff ProductsFigure It Out! Figurative Language, Level 2(#306098)


Illustrate an Idiom Reproducible

Answer Key Reproducible


Documents

Don't Take Me Literally – Nonliteral Language