In the Know Students Book and Audio CD: Understanding and Using Idioms

What a superbly-organized book! Idioms are presented around key topics (risks and opportunities, relationships, feelings, etc), one topic per unit. Each unit is broken down into three sub-units: focus on meaning, focus on form and focus on use. The appropriateness of each idiom in various social situations is systematically dealt with at the end of each lesson and students are encouraged to make cross-linguistic comparisons (ex: Is there a common phrase that means something like xxxxx in your language?). In short, a serious book written by a competent professional who "knows her stuff"

Great book to use for additional handouts in class regarding usage, transition, and your basic communication ideas for the writer's workshop. People from other countries do not get idioms like "pass the hat" meaning make a collection of money, for example. It's going to be fun to use this well organized book which has little two page dramas, with characters and a bunch of idoms that carry the dialogue. I haven't used it yet [beginning of the year] but have already zeroxed the first one, two page handout. When I get the class sufficiently managed behaviorally, that is when they know I mean business when I say I'm going to call their parents, I will begin using this stuff.