About this activity
Eight idioms to draw literally and then explain: it's raining cats and dogs; he threw me under the bus; she's on thin ice; I'm swamped; that cost an arm and a leg; he spilled the beans; let's break the ice. The last card asks the student to bring one they heard themselves this week, which is where the skill leaves the room.
How to use it in a session
Draw badly and fast, then explain. The picture is a joke and the explanation is the work — the gap between the literal image and the real meaning is what makes an idiom memorable, and the drawing makes that gap concrete. The bring-your-own card is the most valuable and should be set as something to notice between sessions rather than answered on the spot.
What to listen for
Listen for the explanation being specific. Threw me under the bus means blamed me is close; blamed me to protect himself is right, and the extra clause is what a student needs to use it correctly. Notice whether the student can say when they would use it, which is a step beyond knowing what it means.
Carrying it home
Idioms come up constantly in ordinary talk and on television. Asking what someone actually meant, when one goes past, is a normal question rather than a lesson.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Sixth through twelfth, using expressions students hear rather than workbook examples.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all eight tasks are free to use here.
- Why draw them?
- Because the contrast is the memory hook. The literal picture is funny and wrong, and that gap between it and the real meaning is what makes an otherwise arbitrary expression stick.