Some techniques to teach english idioms by topic in warm up activities at high school

1 Introduction 1.1 Rationale of the study English has attracted a large number of people all over the world It is not only the effective means of communication but also has the progressive effect on many aspects of life However, in the process of studying the language, the learners encounter numerous obstacles One of them is understanding English idioms because of the following reasons Firstly, idioms reflect specific cultural characteristics, so they are considered as special factors of a language’s vocabulary system This makes students find it difficult to learn idioms and confused at first Secondly, studying idioms takes a lot of time and learners have to practice regularly It requires students’s patience and hard work It is obvious that if students master English idioms, they will effectively communicate with others especially native speakers In addition, they can many English idioms exercises that are required in the National examination After many years teaching English at high school, I realize that warm-up activities have a great impact on students’ motivation and it is an effective way for students to practice English idioms Therefore, I have been applying “Some techniques to teach English idioms by topic in warm-up activities at high school” That is the reason why I choose this topic for my research 1.2 Aims of the study - To enrich students’ English idioms - To assist students to express thoughts and affection accurately, polishedly, concisely and vividly with English idioms by topic in warm-up activities 1.3 Objectives of the study - To present an overview of idioms, functions of idioms, characteristics of English idioms, classification of idioms, classification of English idioms, some examples of English idioms by topic - To emphasize the importance of warm-up activities to teaching English idioms by topic - To introduce some techniques to teach English idioms by topic in warm-up activities at high school - To show how warm-up activities can be designed for teaching English idioms by topic at Thieu Hoa upper-secondary school 1.4 Research Methodology 1.4.1 Research orientations 1.4.1.1 Research approaches The study is carried out by basing on the quantitative and qualitative approach With the quantitative approach, the vast amount of data of English idioms is collected Besides, the researcher uses the qualitative one to describe and analyze the data of the research 1.4.1.2 Data collection The data collection is the most vital step in any research This procedure consists of two main stages Firstly, a large number of English idioms were collected in order to make the corpus of this study Secondly, the collection of English idioms by topic was done to hold up the study 1.4.1.3 Data analysis After assembling the data, the research is carefully studied, the following stages of analysis are applied - The first stage is classification In an attempt to make the study more coherent the data is categorized into topics: Friendship, family, animals It is also an effective way to analyze the materials - The second stage is synthesis and generalization The data is summarized and generalized - The third stage is carrying out the survey in order to evaluate how effective the study is 1.4.2 Research methods 1.4.2.1 Major method Descriptive method is mainly utilized to characterize the idioms in general and English idioms by topic in particular 1.4.2.2 Supporting methods In addition to the above major methods, the study is also applied with some other supporting methods They are synthetic and analytic method These methods make the research become more general and logical 1.5 New applies of the study There have been a lot of authors whose studies generally relate to idioms Hoang Van Hanh (1973), Nguyen Thien Giap, Le Nhu Tien (1988), Nguyen Khac Hung (1988), Hoang Van Thang (1992), Trinh Duc Hien (1995), Phan Van Que (1995), Dang Anh Dao (1997) showed their concern for the ways how to use idioms in literature and in different kinds of act Studies on the roles of idioms in traditional culture were carried by some authors such as Duong Quang Ham (1956), Pham The Ngu (1969), Dinh Gia Khanh, Chu Xuan Dien (1972, 1973), Cao Huy Dinh (1974), Le Chi Que, Vo Quang Nhon (1990) etc However, there has not been any research that studied about some techniques to teach English idioms by topic in warm-up activities at high school It means that in the scope of the research, it is mainly focused on idioms classified into topics Moreover, those English idioms are applied in warm-up activities for upper secondary school students not only to introduce those idioms but also to motivate them before their new lessons Contents 2.1 Theoretical background 2.1.1 An overview of idioms Words have their own meanings They, however, not just come individually; they also come in expressions or in groups Idioms are among the most common of these expressions Besides, it is impossible to master a language without learning idioms – a very important part of the language What is an idiom? The question may have many answers Many linguists such as Robins (1989), Palmer (1981), Jackson and Amvela (1998) and others consider idioms as a special kind of collocation The meaning of an idiom, however, cannot be deduced from the meaning of its constituents An idiom is distinguished from a collocation, for a collocation is a sequence of lexical items which habitually co-occur and each lexical constituent of a collocation is a semantic component Hornby (1995) argued in his Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, an idiom is “a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not clear from the meaning of its individual words and which must be learnt as a whole unit” Sharing the same point of view, Seidl and Mordie (1988) defined “an idiom is a number of words which, taken together, mean something different from the individual words of the idiom when they stand alone” For instance, the collocation of kick and the bucket forms an idiom meaning die, which is not systematically determinable from the meanings of kick and the bucket This idiom or phrasal lexeme is formally identical with the phrase kick the bucket whose meaning is systematically determinable on the basis of the meaning of the lexemes of which it is composed hit a certain type of container for liquids with their foot Here are some more definitions of idioms: - “An expression which functions as a single unit and whose meaning cannot be worked out from its separate parts” (Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 1992) - “An idiom is a fixed group of words which is firm in terms of structure, complete and figurative in terms of meaning, and is widely used in daily speaking” (Hoang Van Hanh, 1994: 21) - “An idiom is a fixed group of words with a special different meaning from the meaning of several words” (Dictionary of English Idioms, 1979) As can be seen from the above definitions, there are different ways of defining an idiom In general, most of the linguists share the same point that an idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out by looking at the meaning of its individual words 2.1.2 Functions of idioms Idioms may play different roles They are used to name objects, actions or describe situations They may express certain generalizations, advice, make an evaluation, emphasize… Traditionally, from the point of view of the function of idioms, we can refer to the following basis groups: - Idioms with a nominative function - express concepts and name objects, states, processes, actions, qualities, etc They have the structure of a phrase Examples: while elephant, pull somebody 's leg, cool as a cucumber; body and soul - Idioms with a communicative function - describe situations and express independent statements They have the structure of a sentence, e.g all that glitters is not gold, the coast is clear - Idioms with both nominative and communicative functions (including idioms with a mixed, limited variable structure), e.g break the ice - the ice is broken, close the door on - the door is closed, lead somebody by the nose somebody is led by the nose - Idioms without any distinctive nominative and communicative function linguists usually include here modal and interjectional idioms, or idioms which have a cohesive function, e.g like hell; what on earth; on the other hand; as well as; by the way In relation to words, within the group of idioms with a nominative func-tion (lexemic idioms), we can refer to idioms equivalent to single words, i.e they may be replaced by a single word (of course = certainly, kick the bucket = die, in the family way = pregnant) They may also correspond to non-idiomatic phrases (collocations: a big fish = an important person, as red as a turkey cock = very angry), or they may be correlated with approximate (free) description, e.g have green fingers = have natural ability in growing plants Nominative idioms correlate with word classes (parts of speech) They may be divided into: noun, verbal, adjectival and adverbial idioms, etc., for example: a dark horse (noun), make give up (verbal), as white as a sheet (adjectival), once in a blue moon, tooth and nail (adverbial) Their function is not completely identical with that of single words, since their meaning usually includes a higher degree of both expressiveness and evaluation From the pragmatic point of view and discourse, some linguists, including Fernando (l996) speak about: - "Ideational" idioms ("the state and way of the world" idioms, expressing namely: actions, events, situation, people, things, attitudes, emotions, etc.): red herring, bury the hatchet, as white as a sheet - "Interpersonal" idioms (expressing greetings, agreement, rejections, etc.): so long, never mind - "Relational” idioms (ensuring cohesion, etc.) : by the way, in addition to, last but not least Other linguists give more detailed categorization of idioms Some idioms may have more than one function Moon (1998), for example, distinguishes the following groups of idioms: - Informational (conveying information of a different kind: in the red, rub shoulders with, one’s kith and kin) - Evaluative (giving the speaker’s attitude to the situation: works wonders, wash one’s hands of sth, a different kettle of fish) - Situational (expressing conventions, clauses, exclamation, relating to extralingual context: walls have ears, so long, talk of the devil, long time no see) - Modalizing (expressing modality, truth values, advice, request: mark my words, more or less, at all, in effect) - Organizational (organizing the text, signaling discourse structure: by the way, all in all, let alone, in the light, on the other hand, in other words) 2.1.3 Characteristics of English idioms According to many linguists, a group of words which has a fixed structure, indivisible meaning and can appear in speech like a word is called an idiom Therefore, idioms can be distinguished by their grammatical and semantic features 2.1.3.1 Grammatical features It is very easy to realize that most idioms are fixed expressions There are no changes in structure, word order and lexicology We can take the idiom black and blue (of bruises) as an example It would sound uncanny if we changed it into blue and black It means that it wouldn’t make sense Moreover, when an idiom is used in a complete sentence, it is hardly change into passive voice Let us consider the idiom “to stuff one’s face” in the sentence “She is stuffing her face with chocolates” (She is eating a lot of chocolates) It would be unnatural to say “Her face is stuffed with chocolates” However, some other idioms are more flexible; we can make some changes if they don’t lose their idiomatic meaning This means that idioms are only fixed in some of their parts but not all The alteration of component words can help to form a different idiom of the same or different meaning Appearing on the mass media is in this way of using They no longer keep the full form of the idiom but add some more components to make it more vivid, particularly effective when writing articles We can change the tense of the verb in the idiom to give someone the cold shoulder (to treat someone in a cold or unfriendly way), or the verb in to have one’s finger with to get one’s finger In addition, idioms may take many different forms or structures Some idioms are noun phrases such as tender age, a black sheep, forty winks, etc Some are verb phrases such as to spare one’s blushes, to make someone proud, to cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth, etc The most important thing is that an idiom can have its own regular, irregular or even incorrect grammatical structure To be at large is an example of grammatical irregularity The idiom is formed by verb + preposition + adjective In English, no structure like this is normally accepted because an adjective doesn’t usually come after a preposition singly However, this can be considered as an exception in language 2.1.3.2 Semantic features When mentioning the semantic features of an idiom, we often talk about its meaning A linguist said “the meaning of an idiom is the special chemical mixture of all components’ meaning, which is completely new in quality” This means that it is very important to understand idioms metaphorically We can not usually discover the meanings by looking up the individual words in a dictionary when studying idioms; most of the idioms are metaphorical rather than literal For example, in order to understand the idiom (to feel) like fish out of water, we have to consider its meaning metaphorically as to feel uncomfortable because of the unfamiliar surroundings Another feature concerning itself with semantics is that idioms can range from positive, neutral to negative meaning Some idioms have positive meanings such as a willing horse (a keen worker), to get it into one’s head (to deeply understand), or to warm the cockles of one’s heart (to make someone feel pleased or happy) Some have neutral meanings as to watch the world go by (to observe the others while doing nothing oneself), etc Moreover, many other idioms are negative For instance, crocodile tears mean insincere tears, to waste one’s breath means to talk or give advice without having any effects, or to wash one’s dirty linen in public means to discuss or argue about one’s personal affairs in public, etc All those examples show that the nuances of idiomatic meanings are very complicated They mainly depend on the nuances of their key components 2.1.4 Classification of English idioms by topic Some authors have classified English idioms into topic groups and countries They have also listed the amount of idioms belonging to each topic or country However, in the scope of the study, it is mainly mentioned about the classification of English idioms by topics Dividing idioms into thematic categories will make them easier to learn The themes that can be used is various such as idioms related to family, friendship, job, film, sport, nature and environment, music, health, mass media and so on Moreover, those themes extremely relate to the topics they learn from the textbook Therefore, learning the idioms systematically will help learners avoid mistakes and remember them well 2.1.4.1 Idioms related to family - Bring home the bacon: kiếm tiền ni gia đình Eg: My mom – as a housewife, she does all the household chores, while my dad – as an officer, works outside and brings home the bacon - When the blood sheds, the heart aches: máu chảy, ruột mềm Eg: When the blood sheds, the heart aches Everyone in the family has to take responsibility to stand by side and help them to go through sorrow - Blood is thicker than water: giọt máu đào ao nước lã Eg: You had better pay more attention to your family and relative than the neighbor Because blood is thicker than water - Chip off the old block: giống ba mẹ đúc Eg: Look at him, he reminds me much of his father He’s a chip off the old block of Mr Son - Apple doesn’t fall far from tree: Con nhà tông, không giống lông giống cánh Eg: This year, he has just won the 1st prize in Math Competition He studied so well, just as his father You know that, apple doesn’t fall far from tree - Air one’s dirty laundry in public: vạch áo cho người xem lưng Eg: My mom acts so sensibly, whenever I anything wrong, she just helps me to fix it right away, not yells at me in front of people She doesn’t want to air my dirty laundry in public - Like father, like son: giống hệt Eg: My dad and my brother is like father, like son, they match each other in every aspect - Cleanliness is next to godliness: nhà mát, bát ngon cơm Eg: My mom takes care for home very well, she thinks that cleanliness is next to godliness - Black sheep of the family: khác biệt Eg: Being the black sheep of the family, I’m the only one who works as an artist, while my parents are both teachers - Men make houses, women make homes: đàn ông xây nhà, đàn bà xây tổ ấm Eg: Folks rumoured that men make houses, women make homes So, in Viet Nam, men often work outside to earn money, while women take care of home 2.1.4.2 Idioms related to friendship - A friend in need is a friend indeed: A true friend is a person who always helps you when you really need it Eg: As I always say, a friend in need is a friend indeed, and Paul is certainly a true friend - Bosom friends: One’s best or closest friend Eg: Anne and Diana are bosom friends - Fair-weather friend: When someone is a friend, but only when things are going well for you Eg: A really liked Priscilla, but I realized she was just a fair-weather friend She’s not there for me when I need her - Friend-zone: When one person would like to be in a romantic relationship with another, but the other person thinks of them only as a friend Eg: Tyler said Shelly was in the friend zone, so she is quite sad about it - Close-knit: Very close Eg: Johnny and Casper are close-knit - Friends in high places: To have friends who have important or influential positions Eg: Ethan always brags about having friends in high places - Strike up a friendship: To become friends with someone Eg: I want to strike up a friendship with Erin, she seems like a nice girl 2.1.4.3 Idioms related to health - Alive and kicking: to be well and healthy Eg: My aunt is ninety years old and she is very much alive and kicking - Alive and well: to be well and healthy Eg: The worker was alive and well after the accident - Breathe one's last: to die Eg: The man breathed his last after a long illness - Pass away: to die Eg: The man's father passed away when he was 96 years old - Catch a cold: to get a cold Eg: I caught a cold last week and had to miss four days of work - Catch one's death of cold: to become very ill (with a cold/flu etc.) Eg: The little boy was told to be careful in the rain or he would catch his death of cold - Picture of health: a perfect example of health Eg: The man is feeling very well and is the picture of health 2.1.4.4 Idioms related to books - Bookworm: a person who loves to read and is devoted to reading - Book smart: to be very smart or successful in a scholastic way (from knowledge in books), but not very smart or successful in real world interactions - An open book: to have very evident and clear emotions and thoughts - To hit the books: to study hard - “That’s one for the books”: This phrase is used to say that something is ‘amazing,’ ‘wonderful’ or ‘impressive.’ - “You can’t judge a book by its cover”: This idiom is used to say, ‘you should not judge people by their appearance alone.’ This idiom also is used to remind people that the outside of something is not always the same as the inside 2.1.4.5 Idioms related to jobs - Learn the ropes: Become more familiar with a job or field of endeavor; be trained Eg: It will take me several months to learn the ropes, but I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with my performance - Get the sack/ Be sacked: To be fired Eg: I just got the sack, and so did 20 other people I have three hours pack up my things and leave the office - Off the hook: Free from blame or responsibility to something Eg: Jason said he’d finish the project tonight, so you’re off the hook - Burn the candle at both ends: Work very long hours Eg: I’ve been working two jobs so we can buy a car, but I’m very tired I’m burning the candle at both ends - Out of work: Unemployed Eg: I’ve been out of work since December Hope I find a new job soon! 2.1.4.6 Idioms related to films - Film at 11: A phrase used in broadcast journalism during clips of news stories that are to be featured in greater detail later (when a news program airs, traditionally at 11 PM) Although it was once reserved for serious news stories, the phrase is often used now in a joking or sarcastic manner in conversation or news parodies Eg: A five-alarm fire engulfs a historical landmark - film at 11 Ooh, Jill and Megan are fighting again! Film at 11! - Film over: To begin to display a film, a thin membrane that can develop on the surface of some things Eg: Don't eat that soup It's been sitting out so long that it's filmed over - Popcorn film: A film that is entertaining to watch, but is generally not of a very high quality or rich in emotional or intellectual depth Eg: A: "So what film you want to go see later?" B: "I don't feel like watching anything too heavy or complex Let's just see whatever popcorn film is out." - Snuff film: A film that shows the actual murder or death of a person Eg: Although snuff films are illegal, they are still widely circulated on the black market.The death scenes were so realistic that the director and producers were actually arrested at one point for making a snuff film - Tentpole film: A film with a very large budget and production value that is meant to provide substantial revenue to the production company Eg: Big blockbusters used to be quite the rare cinematic event, but we've gotten to the point now where there's a tentpole film coming out nearly every weekend of the year 2.1.4.7 Idioms related to nature and environment - A shrinking violet: A shy person Eg: She was quite a shrinking violet until she left home and went to university - On cloud nine: Very happy Eg: He was on cloud nine after winning the competition - Cuts no ice: Doesn’t have any effect or influence Eg: That sort of romantic attitude cuts no ice with money-men - Calm before the storm: Unusual or false quiet period before a period of upheaval Eg: Charity should have recognized it as the calm before the storm, but she didn’t - Many moons ago: A very long time ago Eg: It all happened many moons ago - A ray of sunshine: Something that brings happiness to someone Eg: Her visit brought a ray of sunshine into the old man’s life - Once in a blue moon: Very rarely Eg: We go out to eat once in a blue moon - Out of the woods: Out of danger Eg: The nation’s economy is not out of the woods yet 2.2 Practical problems before the study Before applying the research, I had a lot of difficulties in teaching English idioms for students in my workplace Although I took some measures, they were not effective I decided to find out the reasons for this situation I talked with my students, colleagues, friends and I realized the following problems Firstly, my students’ vocabulary was still poor while the meanings in English idioms are very diverse Consequently, they could hardly understand or misunderstood their meanings Secondly, they were less likely to utilize English idioms in their daily life and their learning environment Therefore, they did not have a chance to practice frequently and they could not remember well As a result, my students often felt inconfident when encountering exercises related to English idioms Due to the above reality, I needed to find an effective solution to the proplems I consulted my colleagues about this as well as got more information from books, newspapers and the Internet I found that English idioms should be classified into topics for students to remember easily In addition, warm-up activities were extremely suitable for students to practice with English idioms by topic In fact, warm-up activities appear at the beginning of every lesson That is the reason why students are easily eager to take part in them Students may play games, talk freely, puzzles… that make them enjoyable In short, teaching English idioms by topic 10 in warm-up activities not only motivates learners but also helps them have opportunities to practice this kind of idioms frequently 2.3 Some techniques to teach English idioms by topic in warm-up activities and some applications of those techniques at high school 2.3.1 Some techniques to teach English idioms by topic in warm-up activities 2.3.1.1 Only introducing a few idioms at a time with the same topic Don’t overwhelm students by throwing lists of phrases at them Even if they are all common, useful idioms, students aren’t going to remember a few dozen things from one lesson Instead, introduce a few idioms at a time It can also help to keep them all related to a theme For example, focus one lesson on a few animal-related idioms, such as “work like a dog” “dog days” “raining cats and dogs” and “the cat’s out of the bag” 2.3.1.2 Keeping it fun and light Teaching idioms is about helping the students communicate and understand conversational English Whatever activities or games you do, keep it low-stress and focus on getting your students comfortable with understanding and using the idioms that they know 2.3.1.3 Saying the idioms regularly in the classroom Keep track of the idioms that you have taught and make it a point to use them every now and then in class This will not only help students remember the phrase and its meaning, but will also help them get a feel for how the idiom is used in everyday speech 2.3.1.4 Teaching idioms with pictures Provide a picture to explain the context This works best if you show an image that humorously illustrates the literal meaning of the idiom It will make students laugh, but also helps them understand or guess what a phrase means Idioms are full of colorful imagery, perfect for a flashcard or photo Show the picture to your students and have them guess the meaning of the idiom From there, give examples of when you would use it and how the words and the actual meaning of the idiom are different Looking for a good resource and for some beautiful images depicting idioms It is better to introduce two pictures for two idioms with the same topic in each lesson 11 2.3.1.5 Introducing idioms in context, never in isolation It is obvious that students not only understand English idioms, but also learn to use them, present idiom examples in context, for example, in simple conversations where the meaning of the idiom is clear Students should be asked to guess or figure out the meaning of the idiom After that teacher corrects their answers as necessary and gets them to provide other examples of what it means to give someone a hard time Then, the teacher moves on to another conversation for another idiom if time is enough 2.3.1.6 Word Jumble Race Teacher writes or prints out two English idioms and then cuts them into words Next, they will be put in a hat, a cup or any other container At this time, the class will be divided into groups of students The task of each group is to find and combine the individual words into meaningful and grammatically correct sentences and write them on the board Winning will belong to the group with more correct sentences with the earliest completion time After the game, the teacher helps students better understand about the idioms and leads into new lesson 2.3.1.7 Music game First, the class must be divided into two halves The teacher prepares two pieces of paper, then writes two English idioms with the same topic on two pieces of paper The teacher gives two students sitting at two first tables of each half a piece of paper The teacher asks those students to pass on to the next student right after the music starts and so on until the music stops The last ones will eventually have to hurry up and write down those English idioms on board If the team writes correctly and finishes sooner, they will win After the game, the teacher helps students better understand about the idioms and leads into new lesson 2.3.2 Some applications of those techniques at high school In the scope of the research, one of the most important rules is that idioms should be on the same topic Besides, it is possible to combine many different applications in the same lesson For example, combining teaching idioms by pictures and creating situations for students to guess the meaning of words or sentences, have them repeat the idioms to help students remember better In addition, it should not be to use many idioms in a lesson, only one or two idioms should be applied properly This will not only improve the students' memorization skills but also motivate them to learn new lessons and make the teacher’s instruction easier 12 2.3.2.1 Teaching idioms with pictures Unit 1: HOME LIFE – English 12 Period - Lesson: Reading WARM-UP (5 minutes) Aims: to motivate students and to introduce the topic of new lesson Methods: integrated, mainly communicative Procedures: Activity 1: Teacher gives students a picture - Teacher asks students to look at the pictures on the screen and introduces: “The boy is Tony and the man is his father” - Teacher gets students to work in pairs and answer the following question: “What are they doing?” - Students discuss in pairs and answer: “They are running” Activity - Teacher makes a situation: “Tony’s father likes running and so does he That means they have the same interest Which idiom is usually used in this situation?” - Students may have various answers - Teacher gives feedback and correct answer: “ Like father, like son” - Teacher explains more about that idiom, asks students to read it two or three times in chorus Activity - Teacher gets students to guess the topic of the lesson they are going to learn 13 - After students’ answers, teacher leads in new lesson: “Today, we are going to learn about a topic related to the family Now let’s start with Unit 1: Home Life – Lesson: Reading” 2.3.2.2 Introducing idioms in context Unit 1: Friendship - English 11 Period – Lesson: Speaking WARM-UP (5 minutes) Aims: to motivate students and to introduce the topic of new lesson Methods: integrated, mainly communicative Procedures: Activity 1: - Teacher gives students conversation on the screen Nga: Hello, Nga Have you finished your assignment? Hoa: Yes, I’ve already finished for one day If you had not helped me, I could not have finished it A friend in need is a friend indeed Thanks very much! - Teacher asks students to work in groups of four, discuss the meaning of the idiom “ A friend in need is a friend indeed ” and present in front of the class - After students’ presentations, the teacher gives feedback and explains more about this idiom, then moves to another conversation Activity 2: - Teacher gives students conversation on the screen A: I’m very sad B: Why? A: Last night Mary said she could not become my lover She only considered me as a friend We were in the friend zone - Teacher gets students to work in groups and guess the meaning of the idiom “friend zone”, then perform in front of the class - Teacher gives responses to their answers, explain more about that idiom for students to understand Activity 3: - Teacher gets students to read those idioms two or three times in chorus, asks them to guess the topic of new lesson and leads in by saying “Today, we are going to learn how to describe a friend with Unit1: Friendship – Lesson : Speaking” 14 2.3.2.3 Music game Unit 10: Nature in danger - English 11 Period 63 – Lesson: Listening WARM-UP (5 minutes) Aims: to motivate students and to introduce the topic of new lesson Methods: integrated, mainly communicative Procedures: Activity 1: - Teacher divides class into two halves - Teacher prepares two pieces of paper, then writes two idioms on each paper One is “ I got mark 10 I’m on cloud nine” Another is “We go out to eat once in a blue moon” - Teacher gives two students sitting at two first tables of each half a piece of paper Activity 2: - Teacher prepares a piece of music and asks those students to pass on to the next student right after the music starts and so on until the music stops - At that time, someone who last receives the paper is the person going to write those idioms on board - The reprentative writing correctly and finishing sooner is the winner - Teacher explains two idioms to students, asks them to repeat two times in chorus, then gets them to focus on two underlined words in two idioms “on cloud nine” and “ once in a blue moon” to guess the topic of new lesson they are going to learn Activity 3: - After students’ answers, teacher gives feedback and leads in new lesson by saying: “ The words “cloud ” and “moon” relate to nature and environment and there are a large number of environmental problems, so today I would like to introduce you Unit 10: Nature in danger – Lesson: Listening” 2.3.2.4 Word Jumble Race Unit 1: Books - English 12 Period 63 – Lesson: Writing WARM-UP (5 minutes) Aims: to motivate students and to introduce the topic of new lesson Methods: integrated, mainly communicative Procedures: 15 Activity 1: - Teacher writes or prints out two English idioms (“He hit the books, so he passed the exam”, “you can’t judge a book by its cover” ) and then cuts them into words Next, they will be put in a small box Activity 2: - The class is divided into groups of students The task of each group is to find and combine the individual words into meaningful and grammatically correct sentences and write them on the board Winning will belong to the group with more correct sentences with the earliest completion time Activity 3: - After the game, the teacher helps students better understand about the idioms and leads into new lesson : “You have discovered two idioms containing the word “book” It is also the topic related to our lesson today, Unit 11: Books – Lesson: Writing” 2.4 The result after applying the research in teaching After applying some techniques mentioned in the research, I discover that my students’ study result on English idioms has been getting better and better The more they practise English idioms by topic in warm-up activities, the more confident they become Consequently, they feel easier to English idiom exercises The number of students desire learning English idioms in Warm-up activities Class At the beginning of the school year 2019-2020 At the end of the school year 2019-2020 11M 10/42 (23,8 %) 8/37 (21,62 %) 10/36 (27,8 %) 13/39 25/42 (59,52 %) 22/37 (59,46 %) 23/36 (63,89 %) 28/39 11P 12 X 12M 16 (33,3 %) (71,8 %) Conclusion and proposals 3.1 Conclusion The treasure of idiomatic expression in each language in general and in English in particular brings students so many benefits Studying and applying creatively English idioms help students reach the flexibility in using this language and the creativity of simple but vivid sentences in daily speech With my experience and knowledge learned from my teaching English at high school, my colleagues, books and the Internet, I have tried to provide my students with some techniques to learn English idioms by topic in Warm-up activities 3.2 Proposals 3.2.1 To learners Firstly, the learners should understand about the culture, belief, region, habit of both Vietnamese and English so that they can compare and guess the meaning of the idioms Secondly, the learners should study the features of idioms carefully, and distinguish them from other kinds of set expression to identify the idioms better Thirdly, the learners can analyze the meaning of all components and the relationship among the components or study the meaning in the context or ask the native speakers Fourthly, it is advisable not to make frequent use of slang expressions because it is easy to sound strange And using idioms with neutral style is a good idea Fifthly, knowing an idiom is natural or appreciate in a certain situation is also a difficulty This can only be learnt by careful reading of English texts which contain idioms The learners should take careful note of examples of usage in typical situation Lastly, some English idioms have more than one Vietnamese equivalent so the learners should be careful when choosing them because if they choose the idioms which reflect the specialties of Vietnamese nature and society too much, the unity of English style will be lost Some English idioms have no Vietnamese equivalent, we can translate them into our language but we must keep the suitable nuance of meaning 3.2.2 To teachers 17 Firstly, the teachers should be well- prepared before lessons in order to provide as many suitable English idioms for students as possible Secondly, the teachers should apply different methods of teaching English idioms to different students’ level of knowledge Thirdly, the teachers should find the suitable ways to check students’ understanding Fourthly, the teachers should encourage students to participate in learning English idiom activities Fifthly, the teachers should motivate students to English idiom exercises from books, the Internet, ect Finally, the teachers should be patient and helpful with students during teaching English idioms I am fully aware that shortcomings and mistakes are unavoidable I wish to receive any comments and contributing ideas from others I also hope that my research will be very useful for those who are learning and teaching English idioms THE CONFIRMATION OF THE HEADMASTER Thanh Hoa, July 5th 2020 I hereby declare that this is my experience initiative and it has not been copied from any other’s work Writer Lê Đăng Điển Hoàng Thị Thủy 18 ... 2.3 Some techniques to teach English idioms by topic in warm- up activities and some applications of those techniques at high school 2.3.1 Some techniques to teach English idioms by topic in warm- up. .. English idioms by topic in warm- up activities at high school It means that in the scope of the research, it is mainly focused on idioms classified into topics Moreover, those English idioms are... puzzles… that make them enjoyable In short, teaching English idioms by topic 10 in warm- up activities not only motivates learners but also helps them have opportunities to practice this kind of idioms