NO MONKEY BUSINESS HERE!

I've got something exciting to share with you today-you could say it's a RED LETTER DAY!  I am teaming up with Deb Hanson from Crafting Connections for her Classroom Tested/Teacher and Student Approved Series.  I offered to test out her Idioms and Hyperbole Craftivity because it just looked so cute.  I also knew that my students needed an idiom review about now.  I love the fact that crafting could be incorporated into this topic.  I enjoy crafting myself and crafting is something my students just don't get to do too often enough with all of the technology out there. 



We began our week by reviewing the definitions of idioms and hyperbole.  And it was good that we did that!  Most students had a pretty good idea of what hyperbole is and could give examples.  Idioms, well, not as easy.  Idioms especially are tough for students to "get"- certainly not a PIECE OF CAKE for them.  As adults we use idioms all the time and they go right over our students heads at times!  

 

My students entered the classroom saying, "I heard we are doing a fun project today!" and "Wow! Those look great!" as they admired the work hanging up from their peers in earlier classes.  It didn't take long for them to get down to the NITTY GRITTY!

Students had packets of the pages necessary to create this craftivity.  They worked in pairs to decipher whether or not the beverage glass was an idiom or hyperbole.  Many came up with the strategy of acting out the prompts written in each glass.  Pretty much they were able to better determine the idiom of the group when they did the acting.  For example, one student would literally "hit the books" and ask the other if that is really what is being said.  The other answered that that wasn't what was really happening and from there they determined that the saying was an idiom.  After they decided on which glasses held idioms and which ones held examples of hyperbole, they labeled the glasses with an I or an H and colored them.  I have some OUTSIDE THE BOX thinkers, so we had pink and yellow lemonade!  Once I told them they were going to have their work showcased in a blog they PUT THEIR BEST FEET FORWARD.  The idea of other teachers checking out their work really inspired them!  They also pulled out all of the BELLS AND WHISTLES for this craftivity - Sharpies, crayons, colored pencils, and GLITTER!

Here are some pictures of their works in progress:

(Set up and cut outs.)

(NOSES TO THE GRINDSTONE!)

(All done-This group decided on pink lemonade!)

(A bulletin board created by students.  Yes, they hung up everything and added the extra lemons too.)
You can't see them here, but there are tea leaves as well!)
(The rectangular spot isn't on the board-I had to blank out names on their work.)

All in all, we spent about four class periods reviewing, acting, creating, cutting, coloring and putting up bulletin boards!

Well, if one craftivity wasn't enough.....

...my students realized idioms were HARD NUTS TO CRACK, so they went ahead and completed another one of Deb's Craftivities!  Talk about eager beavers!

So... here are pictures of Deb's Idiom Craftivity for St. Patrick's Day as well!
I picked this up from her TPT store and figured it was a perfect idiom review for this time of year.

 (Some little leprechauns hung these up too!)

 (This one is the CAT'S MEOW!  Check out the pot of gold BLING!)

Be sure to check out Deb Hanson's blog {Crafting Connections} for even more information on these fun products.  You will want to visit her blog because she is generously giving away her Idioms and Hyperbole Craftivity to a LUCKY winner!

 Thanks Deb!  My students and I sure had fun completing these craftivities.
Idioms are no longer the ACHILLES' HEEL of this group!  :)

Hope this blog post TICKLED YOUR FANCY!

Ha! - My students and I challenged ourselves to include ten idioms in this post and we've done just that and some more!!

~If you need another fun St. Patrick's Day activity see my previous blog post.  There's a rafflecopter there for a chance to win my St. Patrick's Day Would You Rather...? Questions.~