Low Resolution Sample for viewing on the web, cannot … · The pack is comprised of three main parts: four illustrated stories depicting idioms; activities centred on the use of

Contents

Introduction 5

Use of the Pack 5

Illustrated Stories 6–77

Instructions for using the stories 6

Hannah’s School Day 8–24

A Visit to Auntie Grace 25–43

Mrs Redpath and Me 44–60

Birthday Surprise 61–77

Activities centered on the use of idioms 78–86

Match the meaning 78, 80–84

Drawing activity 78

Extension activity 79

Charades 79, 85–86

Wordplay Humour 87–91

Match the joke 87–89

Idiom collection 90–91

Appendix oneBlack and White picture pages 92–161

Idioms, Prag12. © David Smith and Helen Rippon, Black Sheep Press Ltd, 2012. Black Sheep Press, 67, Middleton, Cowling, Keighley, W. Yorks, BD22 0DQ, England. Tel.+44(0)1535 631346; email: [email protected] ; web: www.blacksheeppress.co.uk

It is only permitted for the licensee shown below to print/photocopy these worksheets for use in their clinic/school. See page 3 for full details of the licence conditions.

4

Low Resolution Sample for viewing on the web, cannot be printed


People Say the Funniest Things!

Introduction

For most children and young people, understanding and appreciating the

subtlety of figurative comments, phrases, and verbal jokes is something that

develops naturally.

For others, particularly those with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD),

‘encounters with figurative language can prove perplexing and confusing.

Examples of figurative language include sarcasm, metaphors, and idioms,

all of which require an understanding of the speaker’s intentions, in order to

move beyond the literal level of simply mapping words onto their referents’.1

Use of the Pack

The pack is comprised of three main parts: four illustrated stories depicting

idioms; activities centred on the use of idioms; and an activity related to

wordplay humour.

The purpose of the stories, and of the accompanying material and

suggestions, is to provide a stimulus for discussion and explicit teaching of

idiomatic language.

The illustrated stories are designed to be printed on A4 paper or card. They

can be laminated for durability, and may be placed in a ring binder/folder

to keep them neatly together as a set. Alternatively, these pages can be

projected on to a whiteboard.

The activity pages will need printing according to the individual instructions

given for each activity.

The games and stories are suitable for children from the age of 6 years.

1. Baron Cohen, Simon (1989). The autistic child’s theory of mind. Journal of Psychology, 30(22)



5



Illustrated Stories

The stories are presented in a traditional picture book format (text on the

left-hand side; illustration on the right) to introduce children to, and help them

understand, idioms. Each story incorporates:

• a number of well-known phrases and sayings (idioms);

• a selection of words describing the main character’s degree of

amusement or puzzlement; and

• illustrations depicting the literal and non-literal meanings of the sayings.

If you are working with individual children, work through the story as you

would with a normal book.

If you are working with a class, the pages can be projected onto an

interactive whiteboard and the space beneath the text used for additional

comments/text written by the teacher and/or the children.

Instructions for using the storiesBegin by discussing how we use idioms all the time in everyday

conversations. They are a funny, and descriptive way of telling other people

how we are feeling, what we are thinking, or what we see, but sometimes,

they don’t appear to make much sense!

Identify some common idioms and demonstrate how to use them with the

whole group. Role play can be a useful means of explaining how to use them.

Example: Pull your socks up.

Select a child to stand next to you. Pretend that the child hasn’t done their

homework. ‘This is not good enough Jamie. You will have to pull your socks

up!’ The pupil then carries out the literal interpretation of the idiom, that is,

they pull up their socks. Then ask the group, ‘Is that what I really meant? Or

did I mean something else when I told Jamie he had to pull his socks up?’

Now tell the group or pupil that they are going to listen to a story where

people are using lots of idioms.

They must pay attention to the idioms they hear and think about what they

really mean.

Choose one of the illustrated stories in this pack, and look at it together.



6



Review the story after you have finished reading it. Ask the group if anyone

can remember any of the idioms that were in the story and what they

really meant. Then ask whether anyone can use the same idiom in another

situation that has happened to them.

Example: Using the idiom ‘on cloud nine’ in the ‘Mrs Redpath and Me’ story.

A member of the group remembers the idiom ‘on cloud nine’ and describes

it as meaning ‘feeling very happy and proud’. The adult then asks ‘Can you

remember a time when you were ‘on cloud nine’?’

If the child is struggling to think of an example, use prompts. ‘Perhaps

when you won a race at sports day, or scored a goal for the football team?’

‘Or when you told your Mum you were going to get a certificate at prize

assembly?’

The child is then encouraged to make a sentence using the idiom and their

own scenario. ‘When I scored a goal for the team, I was on cloud nine’, etc.



7





At the end of the afternoon, our teacher gave us the results of our spelling test that we did in the morning. I got ten out of ten! I showed Mrs Redpath.

She said, ‘Oh Maleeha! I know how hard you worked on that. Well done! I’m on cloud nine.’

13

57





‘No you’re not, Mrs Redpath,’ I laughed. ‘You’re in the classroom.’

‘No, Maleeha, I mean that I’m very happy.’

Well, why didn’t she just say that?

14

58





It was home time. As I ran out the door, I said to Mrs Redpath, ‘Thanks for all your help Mrs Redpath. You’re cool.’

‘Yes, I am a bit. I think I’ll put on my cardigan,’ said Mrs Redpath.

15

59





‘No Mrs Redpath! I mean that you’re great.’

Mrs Redpath laughed and said, ‘Well, why didn’t you just say that?’

16

60



80Idioms, Prag12. © David Smith and Helen Rippon, Black Sheep Press Ltd, 2012. Black Sheep Press, 67, Middleton, Cowling, Keighley, W. Yorks, BD22 0DQ, England. Tel.+44(0)1535 631346; email: [email protected] ; web: www.blacksheeppress.co.uk


Two heads are better than one

It’s easier with help

Don’t talk/be quiet

Listen carefully

Old

Button your lip

Pin your ears back

Green fingers

Give me a ring

Long in the tooth

Phone me

It’s easy

Good at growing plants

Get angryA piece of cake

Blow your top

Draw a line between the saying on the left and its meaning

Match the Meaning Worksheet 1





Tickled pink

Long in the tooth

By the skin of your teeth

Blow your top

Green fingers

Draw a line between the saying on the left and its meaning

Match the Meaning Worksheet 2





87

Wordplay Humour

Initially, pupils can be asked to share and record a collection of jokes that

rely upon wordplay for their humour. If this is too challenging, the following

activity can be used as a starting point.

Match the joke (a pairs game)

Print pages 88–89 and cut into individual cards. Keep separate the cards

from the left-hand side of the page (the joke beginnings) from those on the

right (the joke endings).

Place four joke starter cards on the left side of the table, face down. Place

the matching joke endings, face down, on the right-hand side, remembering

to shu�e the order.

(The number of pairs can be varied according to ability.)

Pairs or small groups of children take it in turns to turn over two cards, one

from the joke starters and one from the joke endings, in an attempt to match

the beginning of a joke with its correct ending. When a matching pair is

found, the player keeps the pair of cards.

Idiom collection

Use the list of idioms given on pages 90–91 as a starting point for your

students’ own collection of unusual and perplexing sayings. This could be

compiled on an individual or whole-class basis.





Match the Joke 2

What type of fish performs surgical operations? A sturgeon.

Have you heard about the magic tractor?

Knock, knock! (Who’s there?) Gorilla. (Gorilla who?)

It turned into a field.

Gorilla us a piece of toast.

What goes zzub zzub?

Knock, knock! (Who’s there?) Major. (Major who?)

Knock, knock! (Who’s there?) Boo. (Boo who?)

A poodle walks into a burger bar and says, ‘I’ll have a burger and a...

a milkshake.’ ‘What’s with the long pause?’ asks the

girl behind the counter.

Don’t cry, it’s only a knock-knock joke.

‘Don’t know,’ replies the poodle. ‘I’ve always had them.’

A bee flying backwards.

Major open the door didn’t I?!





90

List of idioms

A Apple: Apple of my eye.

BBell: Saved by the bell.

C Cheese: Cheesed o�.

Crows: Stone the crows.

Cuckoo: Cloud-cuckoo land.

DDot: On the dot.

Drum: To drum up support.

Duck: A lame duck.

E Elbow: Put some elbow grease into it.

Elephant: A white elephant.

FFace: Until you’re blue in the face.

Feather: A feather in your cap.

Fiddle: As fit as a fiddle.

Fingers: All fingers and thumbs.

Fly: A fly in the ointment.

GGauntlet: To run the gauntlet.

Grass: To grass on someone.

HHat: At the drop of a hat.

Herring: A red herring.

IImage: Spitting image.

Iron: To strike while the iron is hot.

JJi�y: Done in a ji�y.

KKnow: A know-it-all.

LLoaf: Use your loaf.

Leg: You’re pulling my leg.

MMoon: Over the moon.

Music: Face the music.



Documents

Low Resolution Sample for viewing on the web, cannot … · The pack is comprised of three main parts: four illustrated stories depicting idioms; activities centred on the use of