Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level/Subject: 4th grade Literacy Central Focus: Idioms

Essential Standard/Common Core Objective: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5.b Date submitted: Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and Date taught: March 17, 2014 proverbs. Daily Lesson Objective: After creating a class book of 8 common idioms, students will be able to correctly fill in idioms in 8 sentences with blanks by using idioms in a word bank. To achieve mastery, students must fill in 8 out of 8 idioms correctly. 21st Century Skills: Critical thinking Academic Language Demand (Language Function and Vocabulary): (understanding what idioms mean), Explain, Vocabulary: literal, figurative, idioms communication (coming up with example sentences for idioms), creativity (visually depicting literal meaning of idioms) Prior Knowledge: Students should already know that some words have a literal or a figurative meaning based on what they learned in 3rd grade: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5.a Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5.b Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful). Students should also know how there are many ways to express one idea and that there is a connection between words and the meaning of those words. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5.a Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.5.b Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny). Students should also know meaning of words by categorizing and understanding how verbs and adjectives help to show meaning. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.5.b Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.5.b Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms). Activity Description of Activities and Setting Play the following YouTube clip which plays popular songs that contain figurative language. Ask the students to listen to the lyrics and think about the words in the songs and what they mean. Start the YouTube clip at 1.03 minutes, and end it at 7.08 minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1c6zF9aJxs Below are the songs on the YouTube clip: 1.03 Katy Perry Firework 4.02: Rascal Flats Life is a Highway 4.23: Britney Spears Circus 4.42: Kanye West Heartless 4.57 Katy Perry Hot and Cold 5.10 Miley Cyrus The Climb 5.40 Nelly Furtado Im Like a Bird 6.04 Selena Gomez A Year without Rain 6.30 Taylor Swift Love Story Ask the students if the words in the song meant exactly what they said, and ask the students to give examples to support their answer. Time

1. Focus and Review

10 minutes

2. Statement of Objective for Student

3. Teacher Input

Today we will be learning about idioms and their literal and figurative meaning. After todays lesson, you will be able to understand how 8 common idioms are used. Tell the students that words are literal if they mean exactly what they say. Tell students that the songs that they heard contained phrases and words that did mean exactly what they said. This means that they contained figurative language. According to dictionary.com Non-literal or figurative language refers to words, and groups of words, that exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the component words. A literal usage is the normal meanings of the words. In the song Firework, Katy Perry did not actually mean that someone was a firework. She was using figurative language. Figurative language is used frequently in songs that we hear, in stories, in everyday talk, and in poems. Authors use figurative language in writing to give the reader an image of what is happening or what they are describing, and figurative language describes things in an interesting, creative way that can bring out emotion. To figure out what the song means when it says firework, I can think about some characteristics of fireworks. They are really colorful, bold, and exciting. I know Katy Perry did not mean that you are an actual firework in the song. Since I know what a firework is like, then I think that the song means that your personality is bright and exciting like a firework. This is a use of figurative language, but there are many kinds of figurative language. One type of figurative language is an idiom. An idiom is a group of words that carry a different meaning that does not relate to the meaning of the individual words. Idioms are words that have a literal meaning that is different than their figurative meaning. Many poems contain idioms. Read the Shel Silverstein poem Every thing on It (attached at the bottom of the lesson.) Display the poem using the document camera. This poem is about someone who ordered a hotdog with everything on it thinking that he would get all of the normal hotdog condiments, but they gave him literally everything on it. This poem itself models thinking about how idioms are not literal. After reading it to the class, model your own thinking about the idiom. After I read the poem, I know that the boy thought that he would be getting a hotdog with all of the normal hotdog condiments on it when he ordered everything on it. He was expecting probably ketchup, mustard, and relish. He was using an idiom when he said everything on it. However, they gave him a hotdog with literally everything on it. After reading that, I can see the difference between the meaning of the idiom and the literal meaning of the words in the idiom. Read the following poem which contains many idioms, and display the poem on the document camera. "You can't cry over spilled milk!" my mother always said. "Life's not a piece of cake!" she hammered in my head. "That's the way it goes, that's the way the cookie crumbles" My mother saved her idioms for all my idiotic troubles.

2 minutes

35 minutes

-John Randal Reread the first stanza, and model to the class your thinking about the idiom. When I read the first stanza, I know that he is not talking about actually crying when you spill a glass of milk. Crying over a glass of milk that spilled would be making a big deal about something that should not be a big deal at all. This means that the figurative meaning of this is that it is not good to make a big deal when little things go wrong. Next, reread the second stanza, and model to the class your thinking about the next idiom. I know the poet doesnt think that anybody would think that life is actually a piece of cake, so it must have a different meaning. If life were cake, that would mean that it was always really good and easy. So, the figurative meaning of this is that life is not always going to be easy! Next, reread the rest of the poem. Ask students where they think the next idiom is. They should answer thats the way the cookie crumbles. Ask students what the literal meaning of this (a cookie actually crumbling apart,) and then ask students what the figurative meaning of might be. After hearing student answers, explain that it means that sometimes, things are just going to turn out a certain way. Give each student a preprinted foldable book with 8 pages, each one already printed with an idiom that will be discussed in class. Have 8 pieces of paper, each with an idiom written on top (this paper will be used later). One at a time, hold up an idiom paper and explain what the idiom means while they have to draw a small picture for the literal meaning and write down what it means figuratively. Talk about the literal meaning of the idiom and the figurative meaning. Also give a few examples of sentences using that idiom. Model how to come up with a sentence using an idiom with the first few examples since they will have to do this in guided practice. By the end of it, each page should have a different idiom, a small picture, and a short description. 1. Raining cats and dogs Figurative meaning: It is raining very hard outside. This origin comes from long ago when cats and dogs would sleep on the flat roof of homes. When it would rain, the roof would become slippery, and the cats and dogs would fall off. It looked like cats and dogs were raining from the sky! Sentence: I know that this means that there is hard rain outside, so I will think of a sentence that has to do with hard rain, maybe about a storm! Here is my sentence: During the big storm, I thought it was raining cats and dogs outside! 2. Hit the hay Figurative meaning: I am going to go to sleep. Sentence: Since I know that hit the hay means that I am tired and going to sleep, I will think about a time that I am tired. I am so tired after a long day at school, so I am going to go hit the hay. 3. You cant teach an old dog new tricks Figurative meaning: It is easier to teach puppies new tricks, and old dogs cant learn new tricks as easily. Once somebody has been doing something for a long time a certain way, it is hard to teach them a new way of doing things or a new way of thinking. Sentence: This idiom means that it is hard to change the way of doing something after it has been done for a long time. I have loved the Panthers for a long time because of Steve Smith, so I will think of sentence using this example. She had loved the Panthers because she loved Steve Smith, but after he left she still loved the Panthers. You

cant teach an old dog new tricks! 4. Cat got your tongue: Figurative meaning: Youre not speaking very clearly, and your words are getting jumbled. Sentence: When you were trying to tell the joke, nobody laughed because you mixed up the words in the punch line. Cat got your tongue! 5. Scaredy cat: Figurative meaning: Somebody is really scared. Sentence: At the sleepover they called her a scaredy cat because she did not want to walk down the dark hallway. 6. Eat like a horse: Figurative meaning: Somebody is really hungry and could eat a lot. Sentence: I forgot to eat lunch today, so for dinner I could eat like a horse. 7. Curiosity killed the cat: Figurative meaning: Being nosy and too curious can sometimes hurt you. Sentence: Curiosity killed the cat when she got a different job and realized she liked her old job a lot more. 8. You cant cry over spilled milk. Figurative meaning: It is not good to make a big deal over little things. Sentence: I know this means that you should not make a big deal over little things. Sometimes, I forget little things but still get very upset over them, so I will create a sentence about this. She seemed devastated that she forgot to pack the chips in her lunch today, but you cant cry over spilled milk. Next, play the following video which shows 12 idioms, pictures that show what they literally mean, and an explanation of what they figuratively mean. Some of the idioms were just talked about in class. http://vimeo.com/12236342 . Explain to the students that they will now work in groups to practice using the 8 idioms that we just learned. Students will break into pairs based on who they sit beside, and each pair will receive one of the 8 papers with an idiom that was used in teacher input. Each pair of students will then receive one sheet of notebook paper. On the white paper with the idiom written, the pair of students will work together to draw and color a picture of the literal meaning of the idiom like what was done in the video. Then, students will have to choose a sentence strip that correlates with their idiom. The sentence strips will be located at the front of the classroom and contain sentences each with a blank that correlates with one of the 8 idioms. Then on the sheet of notebook paper, the pairs will write down the sentence from the sentence strip filled in with their idiom. The teacher will walk around to make sure students understand the idioms as they are used in sentences correctly. Students can also use the foldables made in teacher input to help remember what the idioms mean. Once each group is finished, collect the students work, and put it in a folder with prongs labeled Class Idioms. Read aloud the class book of the idioms. Give each student the independent practice sheet attached to the lesson which contains 8 sentences with blanks and a word bank of the 8 idioms focused on in the lesson. Students have to correctly fill in the appropriate idiom. Collect student sheets, and then read over what the correct answers were.

4. Guided Practice

20 minutes

5. Independent Practice

12 minutes

Collect student sheets from independent practice, and grade the idioms that the students filled in the blanks. 6. Assessment Methods of To achieve mastery, students must correctly fill in 8 out of 8 blanks. all objectives/skills: To achieve partial mastery, students must correctly fill in 5 out of 8 blanks. To achieve no mastery, students must correctly fill in less than 5 out of 8 blanks. Today we learned that authors and poets sometimes use idioms to explain something to the audience in a creative way. In your writing this week, try to 7. Closure use some idioms are other figurative language because it will make your 2 minutes writing more interesting! If you need ideas, take a look at the class book of idioms that you made! 14 of the 18 students achieved mastery 8. Assessment Results of 2 students achieved partial mastery all objectives/skills: 2 students did not achieve mastery Targeted Students Modifications/Accommodations: Student/Small Group Modifications/Accommodations: One student with a disability in written expression was Students who cannot fluently write should be placed in a group given individualized attention by an assistant during with a student who writes well during guided practice. The guided practice while writing sentences. sentences during independent practice were read aloud to the students because the majority of the class cannot read on grade level, and their understanding of idioms was to be assessed (not their ability to read.) Materials/Technology:
(Include any instructional materials (e.g., worksheets, assessments PowerPoint/SmartBoard slides, etc.) needed to implement the lesson at the end of the lesson plan.)

YouTube and projector for videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1c6zF9aJxs http://vimeo.com/12236342 18 foldable sheets folded like a book (attached document) 8 sheets of paper with one of the following idioms written on each: raining cats and dogs, hit the hay, you cant teach an old dog new tricks, cat got your tongue, scaredy cat, eat like a horse, curiosity killed the cat, you cant cry over spilled milk 8 sentence strips with sentences and blanks that correlate to the idioms in guided practice 8 sheets of notebook paper (1 for each pair) A folder with prongs (for the class idiom book) Copy of the Shel Silverstein poem Everything on It Copy of John Randal idiom poem Document Camera 18 worksheets for independent practice with 8 sentences containing blanks and a word bank of 8 idioms (attached document) References: Dictionary.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1c6zF9aJxs http://vimeo.com/12236342 Shel Silverstein Everything on It John Randal idiom poem (no title) Reflection on lesson: The lesson was executed successfully, and the students were able to see how figurative language is used in popular songs, how idioms are used in poetry, and how idioms can be used in writing. Many of the students struggle with things that are not concrete, so it was beneficial to explicitly teach 8 common idioms. The students were able to express their knowledge through drawing, writing, and applying the knowledge to sentences. The students then were able to use idioms in conversation and during writers workshop for the rest of the week. The only thing I would do differently is have students label their pictures as being literal or figurative representations of the idiom.