Idioms & Proverbs
CONCEPTUALRecognise and interpret common idioms (break the ice, hit the nail on the head), adages (actions speak louder than words), and proverbs (a stitch in time saves nine), understanding their figurative meanings and when to use them
Mastery Evidence
- Explain the figurative meaning of common idioms encountered in texts, e.g. 'let the cat out of the bag' means to reveal a secret, not literally releasing a cat
- Interpret the meaning and intended lesson of adages and proverbs, e.g. explain that 'the early bird catches the worm' advises that acting promptly gives an advantage
- Use context clues to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar idiom or proverb encountered during reading and verify using a reference source
Assessment Prompt
“If [child] hears a saying like "don't judge a book by its cover" or "the early bird catches the worm," do they know what it really means and when you'd use it?”
Curriculum Standards2 alignments
L.4.5bCommon Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsRecognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
L.5.5bCommon Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical SubjectsRecognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
Prerequisites1
- Literal vs Figurative LanguagehardAges 8—9
Show full prerequisite tree
- Literal vs Figurative Language hard
Interpreting idioms, adages, and proverbs requires the foundational ability to recognise nonliteral language
- Expressive and Sensory Language hard
Distinguishing literal from nonliteral builds on recognising literary language and sensory words
- Listening to Texts Read Aloud hard
Recognising literary language requires listening comprehension of stories/poetry
- How Many in Total? soft
Sorting and categorising objects uses the same counting/cardinality skills from maths
- One-to-one counting hard
Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'
- Shades of Meaning soft
Understanding figurative language connects to distinguishing shades of meaning
- How Many in Total? soft
Sorting and categorising objects uses the same counting/cardinality skills from maths
- One-to-one counting hard
Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'
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