Home›Lesson Plans›English Language Arts›Reading: Vocabulary · Grade 5

Idioms, Adages & Proverbs: The Hidden Meanings of Sayings

Students crack the code of common sayings — idioms, adages, and proverbs — discovering that these familiar phrases carry a wiser, deeper meaning than their words first suggest.

Grade 5Vocabulary45 minutes1 class periodReading WorkshopExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain the meaning of common idioms.
  • ✓Interpret adages and proverbs.
  • ✓Explain the life lesson a saying teaches.
  • ✓Use a saying correctly in context.
Essential Question

“The early bird catches the worm” isn’t really about birds. Why do people share little sayings that mean more than they say?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
What Does It Mean? · Interactive

Crack the Saying

Project each saying and have students choose its real meaning. The tool explains the wisdom behind each adage and proverb.

💬 What does this saying really mean?Try it
These sayings mean more than they say. What’s the real meaning?
The Lesson · Reading Workshop (Mini-Lesson · Practice · Share)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Connect — More Than Words

5 min

“Break a leg!” — does anyone want you hurt?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Share a saying taken literally.
  • Ask what it really means.
  • Set the goal: sayings’ meanings.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Picture the literal meaning.
  • Guess the real one.
  • Predict the terms.
2

Teach — Idiom, Adage, Proverb

10 min

Teacher models.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Define idiom, adage, proverb.
  • Interpret one of each.
  • Name the life lesson.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Learn the three terms.
  • Interpret a saying.
  • Name the lesson.
3

Active Engagement — Crack Them Together

12 min

Class uses Crack the Saying.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Work through the sayings.
  • Have students explain the real meaning.
  • Discuss the wisdom.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Choose the meaning.
  • Explain the wisdom.
  • Give an example.
4

Independent Practice — Your Turn

13 min

Students interpret sayings.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Give sayings to interpret.
  • Have students explain + use one.
  • Illustrate a literal vs. real meaning.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Interpret sayings.
  • Use one correctly.
  • Illustrate the two meanings.
5

Share — Share

5 min

Students share a saying.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Invite a favorite saying + meaning.
  • Name its lesson.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share a saying.
  • Explain the meaning.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

CCSS
L.5.5b

Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS
L.5.5

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances.

CCSS
RL.5.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases, including figurative language.

CCSS
L.5.6

Acquire and use general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Match sayings to meaning cards.
  • Sentence frame: “‘___’ really means ___.”
  • Illustrate the literal vs. real meaning.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Offer two meaning choices.
  • Use highly common idioms first.
  • Provide picture support.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Compare sayings from different cultures.
  • Write a short story that ends with a proverb.
  • Explain when you’d use each saying.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Reading notebooks
  • 💻Crack the Saying
  • 🖼️Saying + meaning cards
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

idioma phrase with a hidden, non-literal meaningadagea short, old saying that is often trueproverba short saying that gives advicefigurativemeaning more than the literal wordsliteralthe exact word-for-word meaninginterpretto explain the meaningwisdomgood sense and advicelessonsomething learned
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does the proverb “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” mean?
Don’t assume something good will happen before it actually does.
QUESTION 2
What is the difference between the literal and figurative meaning of a saying?
The literal meaning is the exact words; the figurative meaning is the deeper, real message the saying teaches.
QUESTION 3
Explain the saying “Practice makes perfect.”
It means that doing something over and over helps you get better at it.

Going deeper? Sayings around the world.

Have students find a proverb from another culture or language and compare its lesson to a familiar English one. A printable proverb-comparison sheet is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Idioms, Adages & ProverbsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Idioms, Adages & ProverbsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Idioms, Adages & ProverbsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: adage, figurative, idiom, interpret, lesson, literal, proverb, wisdom
  1. the exact word-for-word meaning
  2. something learned
  3. meaning more than the literal words
  4. good sense and advice
  5. to explain the meaning
  6. a phrase with a hidden, non-literal meaning
  7. a short saying that gives advice
  8. a short, old saying that is often true

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does the proverb “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” mean?
  2. What is the difference between the literal and figurative meaning of a saying?
  3. Explain the saying “Practice makes perfect.”
Answer key — Part A: 1) literal · 2) lesson · 3) figurative · 4) wisdom · 5) interpret · 6) idiom · 7) proverb · 8) adage
Part B: 1) Don’t assume something good will happen before it actually does. 2) The literal meaning is the exact words; the figurative meaning is the deeper, real message the saying teaches. 3) It means that doing something over and over helps you get better at it.