Virginia SOL 10.RV.1.E
The Standard
Identify and explain idiomatic language in context.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Vocabulary Development and Word Analysis
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students spot phrases whose intended meaning differs from the literal words. They use nearby details, tone, and situation to explain what each phrase means in context.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students accurately locate idioms in dialogue, fiction, or nonfiction. They explain each meaning in their own words and point to context clues that support the explanation.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may interpret an idiom literally or guess its meaning from one familiar word. They may identify any metaphor or slang phrase as an idiom without checking whether it has a commonly understood nonliteral meaning.
How to Assess It
- Give this exit ticket: “By the time Lena applied, she had missed the boat.” Students underline the idiom, paraphrase it, and name one context clue.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs idiom cards, literal picture cards, and context strips to match, then have students explain which clues reveal each intended meaning.
Ask students to explain how “break the ice” changes meaning in a meeting scene compared with a frozen lake scene.
Play Idiom Detective using short passages, teams earn points for identifying an idiom, paraphrasing it, and citing a context clue.
Collect idioms from advertisements, sports commentary, or song lyrics, then rewrite each line with direct language and compare the effect.
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