Idioms: intelligence

This ESL worksheet is dedicated to idioms and expressions related to intelligence. Students will learn and practise 15 idioms and expressions.
The lesson starts with a couple of lead-in discussion questions, and then the first 7 intelligence-related idioms (razor-sharp mind, street smart, wise beyond your years, clever as a fox, be no fool) are introduced through a short dialogue. After matching the idioms to their definitions, students look at 7 descriptions of people and decide which idiom to use in each case. Then, they give examples of people they know using each of the idioms.
Next, the rest of the idioms about intelligence (e.g. I wasn’t born yesterday, have a brain like a sieve, a brain like a sponge, not the brightest bulb in the box, a mind like a steel trap) are introduced through 8 short dialogues. To practise, students complete 4 sentences with their own ideas.
Then, students complete a multiple-choice activity.
Finally, students debate 4 questions given, using some of the idioms from this lesson.
As a homework assignment, students are asked to research someone considered to be highly intelligent, and to write a short description, using idioms from this lesson.
For more speaking practice, you can check out the conversation cards.