UPSR: Proverbs and Idioms

Although there's usually only one question on proverb or idiom (particularly in Paper 1 - MCQ), students have nothing to lose in learning new proverbs and idioms. The benefit is obvious when they come across those phrases later in life.

But, first of all, what's the difference between proverbs and idioms? Here, I quoted the definition of both according to Merriam-Webster:

An idiom is a phrase that has a meaning of its own that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words. 

Here are some examples of idioms:

• break a leg
• over the moon
• a little bird told me

If translated literally, "break a leg" means to break a person's leg with a stick or anything. But, the idiomatic meaning is to wish someone good luck before any event, exam or performance. So, the meaning should be taken figuratively and can be understood only as a whole since the combination of words when taken together has a meaning different to its literal interpretation.

A proverb is a short popular saying that gives advice about how people should behave or that expresses a belief that is generally thought to be true. Here are some examples:

• Curiosity killed the cat. 
• Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. 
• A stitch in time saves nine. 

Compared to idioms, a proverb can stand on its own, meaning the words mean what they define. For example, "Curiosity killed the cat" means being curious can get you into trouble. In short, proverbs are wise sayings based on comon sense or practicality. Every culture has it. In Malay culture, for example, we have, "Sepandai-pandai tupai melompat, akhirnya jatuh ke tanah jua" which means no matter how cunning you are, you'll finally get busted.


Now we know the difference, so, how should we teach kids proverbs and idioms? I bet there are lots of creative ways teachers do this, but here I'll share how I usually do it. 

1. Explore a story that shows how a proverb/idiom is used in context - kids enjoy, understand and remember story better.
2. Explain the literal meaning of each words of the proverb/idiom followed by contextual meaning.
3. Discuss how can this proverb/idiom is used in sentence.
4. Practice ~ as the saying goes, practice makes perfect... :)

Here, I share how morals and practical messages in short stories are conveyed and further convinced through proverbs/idioms. Below is an example how I do #1-3.

Proverbs and idioms (Short Story) from IMSHA LEARNING

Here are some exercises similar to UPSR format (multiple choice questions) student can do to test their understanding. Answers are at the end of page.

Proverbs and Idioms (exercise) from IMSHA LEARNING

Source: http://www.learnersdictionary.com/qa/what-s-the-difference-between-idioms-and-proverbs