A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

English Language Learners were introduced to figurative language. Figurative language can impede communication and comprehension for ELLs because it uses words in a non-literal sense to convey meaning.

The students learned the idiom - "A picture is worth a 1,000 words", which means that you can get as much information from a picture as you can from written or spoken text with a lot of words.

To prove the point, I suggested students could learn a lot about each other just by drawing a picture. They were given time to illustrate some of their favorite things (ie.,  favorite food, pastime, animal, etc.), but could not put their names on the front. Students then did a gallery walk, stopping at each picture and trying to guess who drew it. Once claimed, the owner of the picture elaborated on their drawing.

While this was an activity to teach about figurative language, it was also a great way for students to learn about each other, as well as practice their speaking and listening skills.