The Daily Tone—a proverb, idiom, or rhyming riddle—is an essential component of a LitART afternoon. Students build their fluency, and their understanding of English colloquialisms, by learning a new expression everyday.  One effective strategy to insure students remember a phrase is pantomime.  

1. Read the expression aloud to students.

2. Discuss the expressions so that students have some sense of its meaning.

3. Give students 30 seconds to think of a way they could conduct a pantomime that suggests, defines, or incorporates the example (slightly more time if students are working with partners or small groups).

4. Invite a student or group to perform.  It should take no more then one minute.

5. Engage the students in a discussion and help them see how the performance reflected the example.

6. Allow other students or groups to perform, and repeat.