Six idioms and six double-meaning sentences make up the two matching sets on this 3-page 3rd grade sheet. Students first match expressions like in hot water, under the weather, and cold feet to their nonliteral meanings. Then they read sentences that use take steps, fly off the handle, and dry up in both a literal and a nonliteral way. A last task asks for two new sentences. It targets L.3.5.a, and the answer key marks which uses are literal.
L.3.5.a
“Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).”
The second set puts take steps, fly off the handle, and dry up in literal and nonliteral sentences side by side, and question 7 has students use two expressions in context.
Students write a letter beside six expressions, including "A piece of cake" and "Hit the hay." The first match, raining cats and dogs, is done for them.
Six sentences come in pairs, such as "We take steps to climb the tall stairs." and "Dad had to take steps to fix the car." Students match each to its meaning.
Students pick two nonliteral expressions from the page and write a new sentence for each.
Idiom of the day
Pull one expression each morning for a week before the sheet. By the time students reach it, half the first set is already familiar.
Draw both meanings
Have students sketch the literal meaning of fly off the handle next to the nonliteral one. The silly picture makes the difference easy to remember.
Watch sentence 3
Sentences 3 and 4 are the tricky pair. A bug flying off a broom handle is literal, and students who expect every sentence to hide an idiom mark it wrong.
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