This suite is built for Texas Bilingual/ESL and multilingual classrooms. Every breakout is aligned to — not a reproduction of — the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS, 19 TAC §74.4) and the ELAR TEKS (19 TAC Chapter 110) on the English side; the Spanish Language Arts and Reading TEKS (SLAR, 19 TAC Chapter 128) on the Spanish side of bilingual/dual-language programs; and, for the world-language angle, the Languages Other Than English (LOTE) TEKS (19 TAC Chapter 114). The design mirrors the research base: teach transparent, home-language-similar idioms first, in rich context, and use the learner's first language (L1) as a resource.
Idioms are Tier-1 vocabulary that trip up multilingual learners because the words don't add up to the meaning. The ELPS name them directly: the Advanced High proficiency-level descriptor §74.4(d)(2)(D) expects ELs to "use many of the same idioms and colloquialisms as their native English-speaking peers." The new ELPS (2026–2027) add that students "use context to construct the meaning of figurative language such as idiomatic expressions." The ELAR TEKS reinforce this — the Grade 4 vocabulary strand asks students to "identify the meaning of idioms such as it's raining cats and dogs."
Every breakout uses the same four reasoning locks. Here is how each maps to the standards:
| Lock | Thinking move | ELPS (19 TAC §74.4) | ELAR / LOTE |
|---|---|---|---|
| MC · Real meaning | Determine an idiom's figurative meaning, past the literal-word trap | (c)(4)(F) use contextual support to comprehend increasingly challenging language | ELAR Vocabulary — "identify the meaning of idioms" §110.6(b)(3); Author's Purpose & Craft — figurative language 4.10.D / 5.10.D / 6–8.9.D |
| MULTI · Metalinguistic sort | Tell literal from figurative; reject word-for-word translation; spot same-image vs. different-image across languages | (c)(1)(C) memorizing, comparing, contrasting to acquire vocabulary; (c)(4)(A) cognates, roots, base words | LOTE Ch. 114 — Cultures: compare languages & perspectives |
| SEQ · Context | Use the surrounding dialogue (context) to unlock the idiom | (c)(4)(F) visual & contextual support to develop vocabulary | ELAR Vocabulary — use context to determine meaning §110.6(b)(3)(B) |
| WORD · Home language | Supply the meaning or the L1 equivalent — the home language is a valid answer (e.g., hand/mano) | (c)(1)(A) use prior knowledge & experiences; (c)(4)(A) cognates, roots | LOTE Cultures; ELAR word origin / etymology (Grades 9–12) |
Mastery goal: by the win screen students have interpreted idioms in context and connected them across languages — the behavior the ELPS Advanced High descriptor §74.4(d)(2)(D) names. Cross-linguistic comparison also realizes the ELPS emphasis on cognates and prior knowledge (c)(1)(A), (c)(4)(A) and the translanguaging stance of the Texas EL frameworks.
Because the suite pairs English idioms with their Spanish equivalents, it documents against the standards for both languages of a bilingual/dual-language program — and against the world-language standards when French, Latin, or other languages are added:
| Program / side | Standard | Key anchors this suite hits |
|---|---|---|
| ESL — all emergent bilinguals | ELPS 19 TAC §74.4 | idioms & colloquialisms (d)(2)(D); compare/contrast for vocabulary (c)(1)(C); cognates & roots (c)(4)(A); contextual support (c)(4)(F); prior knowledge (c)(1)(A) |
| English side (ELAR) | ELAR TEKS 19 TAC Ch. 110 | figurative language — simile/metaphor 4.10.D / 5.10.D; "identify the meaning of idioms" (vocabulary); context clues 4.3.B |
| Spanish side (dual-language) | SLAR TEKS 19 TAC Ch. 128 | figurative language / lenguaje figurado 3.10.D / 4.10.D / 5.10.D; context clues & cognados (cognates) 3.3.B / 4.3.C / 5.3.C — the direct anchor for the cross-linguistic word locks |
| World languages (French, Latin, …) | LOTE TEKS 19 TAC Ch. 114 | Comparisons — compare the target language & culture to one's own; Cultures — proverbs/sayings as products & perspectives; Classical Languages (Latin) — Subchapter D. Supports the Phase-3 French & Latin expansion. |
| Breakout | Band | Idiom focus | Cross-linguistic anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body Idioms | 3–5 | body-part idioms | lend a hand ↔ echar una mano — same image |
| Animal Idioms | 3–5 | animal idioms | a little bird told me ↔ me lo dijo un pajarito — same; raining cats and dogs ↔ llueve a cántaros — different |
| Food Idioms | 3–5 | food idioms | a piece of cake ↔ pan comido — different image |
| Game On: Sports & School | 6–8 | sports/school idioms | the ball is in your court ↔ la pelota está en tu tejado — same image |
| Time & Money | 6–8 | time/money metaphors | time flies ↔ el tiempo vuela — same image |
| Proverbs, Sayings & Latin Roots | 9–12 | proverbs, sayings, etymology | carpe diem → Spanish día — a shared Latin root |
Secular, objective, inclusive. Idioms and sayings are studied as language and culture — never devotionally or as a faith claim. The suite welcomes every learner's home language as a resource (translanguaging), covers grades 3–12 with age-appropriate content, collects no data, and requires no logins. Decoy "facts" are neutral (e.g., number of bones, elephant weight). Cultural sayings are treated as objective cultural products, consistent with the LOTE TEKS (practices, products, perspectives) and with objective study of language and culture. During this review a Grade 9–12 proverb that referenced God was replaced with a secular equivalent (camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente) to keep the set cleanly secular for public-school adoption. No content promotes or disparages any religion, culture, or group, and idioms are framed to avoid stereotyping any language community.
This suite supports — and can be documented against — the Texas frameworks for emergent bilingual / EL programs:
ELPS — 19 TAC §74.4 ·
ELPS Update 2026–27
ELAR (Ch. 110) — Grade 3 ·
Grade 4 ·
Grade 5
SLAR (Ch. 128) — Subch. A (Elem.) ·
Subch. B (MS) ·
Subch. C (HS)
LOTE (Ch. 114) — A (Elem.) ·
B (MS) ·
C (HS) ·
D (Classical / Latin)
EL research — Colorín Colorado ·
WIDA ELD 2020
TEKS/ELPS citations are good-faith, paraphrased alignment references — confirm against the current 19 TAC Chapters 74 (ELPS), 110 (ELAR), 128 (SLAR), and 114 (LOTE) before formal adoption. SLAR mirrors the ELAR strand numbering in Spanish (e.g., figurative language at x.10.D; vocabulary/cognates at x.3), and Author's Purpose & Craft is strand (10) in Grades 4–5 and (9) in Grades 6–8.