Idioms in Everyday Language

What synonyms can be used to describe feelings? What idioms can be used to describe feelings? What is an idiom? Understanding idioms, their meaning, and their use in everyday language to describe feelings can be challenging for students. Understanding the difference between literal and idiomatic meaning is an important skill. This project uses both verbal and visual modalities in a complementary way to allow for maximum retention. This project can be done with all students. It can be especially beneficial for deaf and hard of hearing students.

In this project, students working in groups use iPhoto to create books that explain and illustrate a variety of idioms describing different feelings. After reading a book about feelings in the context of colors (such as My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss), the class discusses what feelings can be identified with colors. Students are introduced to idioms by reading stories that include idiomatic expressions. The class comes up with a list of "feeling idioms." The teacher divides the students into groups of four or more. Each student selects three to six idioms to illustrate with photographs. The students use digital cameras to take photos of each other posing to demonstrate those feelings. Students import the pictures into iPhoto and create a group photo book. For each photo, students write a sentence that uses and delineates that idiom. The students print the books and also print one of their photographs to include in a class poster that can be displayed in the classroom.

After completing this project, students will be able to:

• Differentiate between the literal and symbolic meaning of idioms.
• Use idioms to describe their feelings.
• Find other similar idioms and synonyms for different feelings.
• Create an idiom photo book and a class poster.

After completing this project, students will be able to:

• Use a digital camera to take photos.
• Use iPhoto to import photos and create a photo book with text.
• Print photos to create a class poster.

• Students can use each other‚s photographs to guess the idiom being visually represented.
• Student can use idioms in the book to describe their feelings each day.
• Students can identify idioms in their class readings.

Book

• Dr. Seuss, My Many Colored Days , 1996

Internet

• Idioms: Introduction

Tools

• Macintosh computers, digital cameras, printer, iPhoto, posterboard (for class poster)

Resources

• Creating a QuickTime Movie From an iPhoto Book