Idioms About Success, Failure and Money, Appropriate Use in Context for SS 1

Class: SS 1
Term: First Term
Week: 10
Age: 15 years
Duration: 60 minutes
Subject: English Language
Curriculum Theme: Grammatical Accuracy
Focal competence: Using idioms appropriately in sentences
Key competencies/values: Communication; ICT and Digital Competencies; Digital Competencies; Collaboration
Skills:

• use idioms in speech and writing

Previous Lesson: Use of House, Family, Medicine, Banking and Law Register Terms in Sentences and Role-Play
Topic: Idiomatic Expressions: Idioms About Success/Failure And Money
Subject Matter: Idioms about success/failure and money and appropriate use in context, Idioms about success/failure and money, appropriate use in context

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils/students should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Define idiomatic expressions.
• Identify idioms related to success, failure, and money.
• Explain the meanings of various idioms about success, failure, and money.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the richness and expressiveness of idiomatic language.
• Show interest in learning and using idioms in everyday communication.

Psychomotor Domain

• Use idioms correctly in sentences.
• Construct sentences demonstrating the appropriate context for idioms about success, failure, and money.

Social Domain

• Collaborate effectively in an idiom-matching exercise.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• Standard English Dictionary
• Dictionary of Idioms
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work For The New Revised Senior Secondary Education Curriculum (SSEC)

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Whiteboard or chalkboard
• Markers or chalk
• Flashcards with idioms and their meanings
• Course books
• Standard English dictionary
• Online resources (if available)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because idiomatic expressions are a significant part of native English communication, enriching both spoken and written language. Understanding and using idioms correctly helps students comprehend nuanced meanings and express themselves more fluently and naturally. It also improves their overall communication skills and prepares them for higher-level English proficiency.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of figurative language and the concept that words can have meanings beyond their literal interpretations.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Idiomatic Expressions: Idioms About Success/Failure And Money

What are Idiomatic Expressions?

Idiomatic expressions, or idioms, are phrases or expressions whose meaning cannot be understood from the ordinary meanings of its words. The meaning is often figurative and culturally specific, requiring prior knowledge or context to be understood.

Idioms About Success

These idioms describe achieving goals, performing well, or experiencing positive outcomes.

1. To pass with flying colours – To pass an examination or test very easily and with a very high score.

Example: She studied diligently and passed her WAEC exams with flying colours.

2. To hit the jackpot – To have a big success, often unexpectedly, or to win a large amount of money.

Example: Finding a job that perfectly matched his skills and passion felt like hitting the jackpot.

3. To be on a roll – To be experiencing a period of continuous success or good luck.

Example: Our football team is on a roll; they’ve won every match this season.

4. To come up trumps – To produce a surprisingly good result when it is needed.

Example: When we needed a solution, John came up trumps with a brilliant idea.

5. To make a name for oneself – To become famous or respected by a lot of people for a particular skill or achievement.

Example: Through hard work, the young artist quickly made a name for herself in the art world.

Idioms About Failure

These idioms describe not achieving goals, performing poorly, or experiencing negative outcomes.

1. To fall flat – To fail completely, especially in an embarrassing way.

Example: His joke fell flat, and no one laughed.

2. To go belly up – To fail completely, especially a business or a plan.

Example: The new restaurant went belly up after only six months due to poor management.

3. To bite the dust – To fail, be defeated, or die.

Example: After a long struggle, the old company finally bit the dust.

4. To miss the boat – To lose an opportunity by being too slow to act.

Example: He missed the boat on the scholarship application because he submitted it late.

5. To come to nothing – To fail to produce any successful or useful result.

Example: All their efforts to reconcile came to nothing, and they eventually separated.

Idioms About Money

These idioms relate to earning, spending, saving, or lacking money.

1. To be rolling in money – To be very rich.

Example: After selling his tech startup, he was literally rolling in money.

2. To tighten one’s belt – To spend less money than you did before because you have less money.

Example: With the increase in fuel prices, many families have to tighten their belts.

3. To make ends meet – To earn just enough money to live on.

Example: It’s hard for single parents to make ends meet with the current cost of living.

4. To break the bank – To cost too much money.

Example: Buying a new car would break the bank, so I’ll stick with my old one.

5. To be strapped for cash – To have very little money.

Example: I can’t afford that new phone; I’m a bit strapped for cash right now.

6. To pay through the nose – To pay too much money for something.

Example: He had to pay through the nose for repairs after the accident.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Question and Answer, Guided Practice, Pair Work, Group Work, Interactive Matching Exercise

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and asks them if they know what an idiom is, or if they can give examples of phrases that don’t mean exactly what the words say. The teacher introduces the topic: Idiomatic Expressions related to success, failure, and money.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Understanding idiomatic expressions

Step 2: Explanation of Idioms

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Definition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what idiomatic expressions are, providing a clear definition and a simple example not related to the lesson’s core topic (e.g., “kick the bucket” meaning to die, not literally kicking a bucket). The teacher clarifies that idioms add colour and depth to language.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation, ask questions for clarification, and note down the definition.

Learning Point: Definition of idioms

Step 3: Idioms About Success

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Illustration/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces idioms related to success, explaining each idiom’s meaning and providing example sentences for appropriate use in context. The teacher encourages students to repeat the idioms and their meanings.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the idioms and their meanings, and try to form simple sentences using the idioms.

Learning Point: Success idioms and usage

Step 4: Idioms About Failure

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Illustration/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces idioms related to failure, explaining each idiom’s meaning and providing example sentences. The teacher ensures students understand the contrast between success and failure idioms.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat, and note down the failure idioms and their meanings. They attempt to use them in context.

Learning Point: Failure idioms and usage

Step 5: Idioms About Money

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Illustration/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces idioms related to money, explaining their meanings and providing example sentences. The teacher highlights how these idioms reflect common financial situations.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat, and note down the money idioms and their meanings. They practice using them in sentences.

Learning Point: Money idioms and usage

Step 6: Idiom Matching Exercise (Activity)

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Collaboration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes cards (half with idioms, half with meanings) randomly among students. The teacher guides students to find their partners by matching the idiom to its correct meaning. The teacher then asks pairs to read out their idiom and meaning, and provide an example sentence.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils participate in the matching exercise, find their partners, and present their idiom, meaning, and example sentence to the class.

Learning Point: Applying idiom knowledge

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is an idiomatic expression?
2. Give two idioms about success and use them in sentences.
3. Give two idioms about failure and use them in sentences.
4. Give two idioms about money and use them in sentences.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Idiom identification and usage

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 10 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on idioms about success, failure, and money into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson content

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly recaps the importance of using idioms to enrich communication and encourages students to practice using the newly learned idioms in their daily conversations and writing.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen and acknowledge the importance of idioms.

Learning Point: Reinforcing idiom application

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Choose any five idioms learned today (one from success, two from failure, and two from money). For each idiom:

1. Write down the idiom.
2. Write its meaning.
3. Construct a clear and grammatically correct sentence using the idiom appropriately in context.

Lesson Keywords

• Idiom – A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.
• Expression – A word or phrase that conveys a particular meaning.
• Success – The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.
• Failure – The omission of expected or required action; lack of success.
• Money – A current medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes.
• Context – The circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood.

Differentiation

For students who struggle, the teacher will provide simplified definitions and more guided practice with sentence construction. They can also be paired with stronger students during the matching activity. For advanced learners, the teacher can challenge them to find additional idioms related to the topics or to write a short paragraph incorporating several idioms learned.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding, search on YouTube for: idioms about success failure money SS1 English