“You’ve got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet!” Are you familiar with this expression? It means: in order to achieve something, it is inevitable and necessary that something be destroyed. It is my new, favorite idiom and I will surely be adding it to my list when addressing this goal in my speech/language therapy sessions! I will most definitely be able to provide visual examples of this idiom when I discuss it with my students in the new school year! You see, I’ve been a little M.I.A. lately when it comes to blogging due to our current “omelet making adventures!” Last week we started renovating our kitchen and “cracking many an egg!” I knew it would be messy and inconvenient for a while, which is why we waited until the summer to tackle the project. And like all home renovations, you never really know what you’re in for until you start tearing away at the layers, which can also lead to finding potential problems that you weren’t expecting or aware of! Electrical, plumbing, etc……we are finding that our home has its share of issues!!
I like to take pictures of home projects to document the progress along the way and gain a greater appreciation of the final result. While taking photos of my kitchen, it dawned on me that I could use the pictures as a teachable moment with my son as well as my students. I think the “egg expression” is clearly demonstrated in the picture below!
I started looking through many of the photos I have been taking this summer and found ways to connect a number of them to idiomatic expressions and other speech/language goals. Sharing photos of my real-life experiences from the summer will be a great way to start off the new school year and will help my students understand, remember and apply idioms and other language concepts with greater ease.
The above photo demonstrates how I still managed to whip up dinner despite the fact that I have been without a kitchen! The grill has become our best friend! Herb-seasoned chicken and a beautiful field green salad topped with grilled zucchini—probably one of the best meals we have had this summer and all without the assistance of a kitchen. We set up a make-shift eating space in our basement and have been using cardboard boxes as our dining room table! My family is finding the experience adventurous and fun! (I am having a hard time agreeing, but trying my best to make lemonade with lemons!) The above picture does a great job demonstrating this idiom which simply means, when dealing with a difficult situation, turn it around and make it positive!
Here are some other ways to share your summer photos while addressing language goals:
Challenge your students to answer the following….
1–Provide a descriptive sentence about what is happening in the photo.
2-What will happen next in the photo?
3-What is the main idea of the photo?
4-What is the person in the photo thinking/feeling?
5-What idiomatic expression might apply to the photo?
I don’t have a finished kitchen photo to show you yet, but I hope to be sharing it when the project is complete, along with an appropriate idiom that can somehow be tied in. So start looking through your summer photos and decide which ones you can use to inspire and develop good communication skills with your students!
GREAT post! Wishing you a speedy remodel!