Idiom Bulletin Board!

Hello everyone!

Elementary teachers, are you looking for an easy way to make and creative an interactive idiom bulletin board that builds vocabulary and appeals to all students?    Here it is!  This is a great activity for your classroom including your ESL, ELD, and at-risk students.

Idiom Bulletin Board-Step by step

This easy, fun and creative bulletin board makes you look like a pro as you develop student vocabulary and language skills.  This bulletin board works great in a classroom or hallway for the whole school to be involved with.  Follow these quick steps and you will be on your way!

Materials:

4-5 idioms and simple definitions

Computer/word processor

Images to represent the idioms and the definitions

Construction paper

Glue

Scissors/paper cutter

String

Tacks

Step 1:

Decorate the Bulletin Board with colored Butcher paper of your choice.  Use a contrasting border that complements the color you chose.

Step 2:

Choose a theme for the idioms you will use.   Some popular themes include:

Bees, horses, weather, dogs, tired.

Step 3:

Choose 4 idioms.  Take care in choosing the idioms.  Idioms for intermediate language level students should be idioms that give a hint to the meaning.  An example of this is “it’s raining cats and dogs”.  The word “raining” is a clue to the meaning. 

Early advanced language learners can work with idioms such as, “you’re pulling my leg” which doesn’t give the learner any clues to the meaning.

Step 4:

Collect 1 picture per idiom that displays what the words say and another picture that shows what the idiom means.  Use your own classroom images for this or do a quick Google search for “idiom images”. 

Step 5:

Type up and print the idioms.   Glue the typed idioms and the images onto colored construction paper.  Cut to size.

Step 6:

Place the 4 idiom images that display what the words say at regular intervals across the top of the bulletin board.

Place the text under each picture.

At the bottom of the bulletin board place the image of what the idioms mean in random order.

Step 7:

Staple a piece of yarn under the text of each idiom long enough to reach to the image that shows the true meaning of the idiom.  Tie a loop in the end of the piece of yarn.

Step 8:

Stick a pushpin into the bulletin board above the random images that shows the true meaning.

You now have an interactive bulletin board where students can match up the idiom to the image of its meaning by attaching the looped yarn to the push pin above the image of the true idiom meaning!  Watch your students have fun and learn about idioms!