Worksheet

Out of Step: Literal and Nonliteral Phrases in the Marching Band

Read a story about a school marching band and tell literal from nonliteral phrases such as fall in line, toot your own horn and face the music.

Grade 3ELAInteractive · Printable

Aligned toL.3.5.a

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What’s included

Single worksheet
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1 Common Core standard
Printable answer key
11 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 3
Subject: ELA
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students tell literal from nonliteral meanings of phrases in a story.
Students use clues in the text to explain what a nonliteral phrase really means.

How to use

Read the story aloud, pausing at each band phrase to ask whether the words mean exactly what they say. Then let students answer the questions on their own.

Curriculum

Common Core standard covered

L.3.5.a

Tell literal from nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context, such as take steps.

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Out of Step: Literal and Nonliteral Phrases in the Marching Band

Do the words mean exactly what they say?

Read the story

Read the story. Some phrases mean exactly what they say, and some do not.

Out of Step

1Cosmo played the snare drum in the Ashgrove School band. This spring, the band was learning to march while it played. On the first day of practice, Mr. Hartwell blew his whistle. "Fall in line, everyone!" he called. The players hurried to stand in three straight rows on the blacktop.

2Marching was harder than it looked. Mr. Hartwell told the players to step with the left foot first, but Cosmo kept starting with his right. He was out of step the whole morning. His feet went one way while everyone else's feet went the other way.

3At lunch, Cosmo's friend Ingrid tooted her own horn. Ingrid played the cymbals, not a horn. "I never miss a step, and I'm the best marcher in the whole band!" she bragged. Cosmo rolled his eyes and kept eating his sandwich.

4That afternoon, Ingrid was busy waving at her little brother instead of watching her feet. She marched right into the tuba player! Now Ingrid had to face the music. Mr. Hartwell asked her to sit on the bench and watch for the rest of practice.

5On Thursday, dark clouds rolled in. "We may have to play it by ear tomorrow," Mr. Hartwell said. "If it rains, we will practice in the gym. If it is sunny, we will march outside."

6On Friday, the sun came out, and every foot in the band moved together. Cosmo did not miss a single step. When practice ended, Mr. Hartwell put down his whistle and said, "You are all ready for Family Night." Cosmo grinned. "That is music to my ears!" he said.

What do the words mean?

Use the story to answer each question.

In paragraph 1, Mr. Hartwell calls, "Fall in line, everyone!" What does he want the players to do?

A. agree with all of his ideas
B. stand together in straight rows
C. trip and fall to the ground
D. draw lines on the blacktop

In paragraph 2, Cosmo is out of step. Is the phrase literal or nonliteral here, and what does it mean?

A. Nonliteral: his ideas were different from his friends' ideas.
B. Literal: he fell down the steps on his way to practice.
C. Literal: his feet did not move with the other players' feet.
D. Nonliteral: he forgot to come to band practice that day.

In paragraph 3, Ingrid tooted her own horn. What does this mean?

A. She played a loud song on a horn.
B. She blew a whistle to start practice.
C. She cheered for Cosmo during lunch.
D. She talked about how great she was.

Read paragraph 3 again. Underline the sentence that shows Ingrid could not have been playing a real horn.

At lunch, Cosmo's friend Ingrid tooted her own horn.Ingrid played the cymbals, not a horn."I never miss a step, and I'm the best marcher in the whole band!" she bragged.Cosmo rolled his eyes and kept eating his sandwich.

In paragraph 4, Ingrid had to face the music. What does this mean?

A. turn around to look at the band
B. accept what happens after a mistake
C. learn to play a brand-new song
D. sing in front of a big crowd

In paragraph 5, Mr. Hartwell says the band may have to play it by ear. What does he mean?

A. They will play songs without any written music.
B. They will cover their ears if it starts to thunder.
C. They will decide later, once they see the weather.
D. They will stop practicing for the rest of the spring.

In paragraph 6, Cosmo says, "That is music to my ears!" What does he mean?

A. He is glad to hear the good news.
B. His ears hurt from the loud drums.
C. He wants to hear the song again.
D. He cannot hear what Mr. Hartwell said.

Literal or nonliteral?

Decide whether the words mean exactly what they say.

Sort the sentences. Do the words in bold mean exactly what they say?

At lunch, Ingrid tooted her own horn about her marching.The players fell in line in three straight rows.When the teacher made a new rule, the whole class fell in line and followed it.Dad tooted the car horn to say goodbye.Cosmo stepped with his right foot while the others used their left, so he was out of step.Mia's idea was out of step with what the rest of the group wanted.

Literal	Nonliteral

Finish each new sentence with a phrase from the box. Use each phrase once.

Word bank: play it by ear · toots her own horn · face the music · music to my ears

Leo forgot his homework, so he had to and tell his teacher.
We do not have a plan for Saturday yet, so we will .
When Grandma said she was coming to visit, her words were .
Nina always about the goals she scores in soccer.