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| Overview |
Out of the frying pan and into the fire! A stitch in time saves nine! Look before you leap! Traditional proverbs like these, meant to convey cultural knowledge and wisdom, are often closely tied to a culture’s values and everyday experience, and their meanings are not always readily apparent to us today. In this lesson, students will learn about proverbs: how they work, how they differ from clichés, how to interpret them, and how they can be culturally and personally significant.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Cruz and Duff (1996) argue that working with proverbs in the classroom can improve students’ learning experiences, their language skills, and their understanding of themselves and the world. This happens because:
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to be knowledgeable experts as well as learners.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to learn about each other and their shared values.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to gain insight as they discuss their experiences and work out their understanding of proverb meanings.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity for students to use their home culture as a stepping stone into school culture.
- Proverbs provide an opportunity to improve thinking and writing as students both provide and receive information.
Cruz, Mary Carmen, and Ogle Burks Duff. 1996. "New Words, Old Wisdom." English Journal 86 (November): 116–118.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- learn about proverbs, how they work, and their cultural significance.
- learn the difference between proverbs and clichés.
- share, study, and interpret proverbs.
- find a proverb that rings true for them and explain its significance.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Preparation
- Print out a copy of the Proverb Definition handout.
- Print out a copy of the Common Proverbs handout, one for each student if you choose to use it.
- Print out a copy of the Proverb Worksheet, one for each student.
Instruction and Activities
Session One
- Using the Proverb Definition handout, explain what proverbs are and provide a few examples. Discuss the difference between proverbs and clichés.
- Ask the students to write down some proverbs they know and then ask them to share some of them. If necessary or if you wish, you can use the Common Proverbs handout to help class discussion get started.
- Ask them where they’ve learned proverbs, where they hear proverbs used, and why they think proverbs can be important to people.
- Distribute the Family Proverb handout and ask students to interview their family and friends for additional proverbs. Encourage them to try to find proverbs that haven’t been mentioned in class.
Session Two
- Go back around the room and have each student read out one of their proverbs again, and ask the class to work out the meaning of each.
- Discuss the collection of proverbs the class has created. Are there common proverbs, proverbs that much of the class knows? If so, what makes them common? Are there proverbs that only one or two students know? If so, can the class figure out what makes that proverb less well known. (As proverbs contain cultural knowledge and cultural values, commonality will be dependent upon the cultural make-up of the class. The proverbs your students will know will be largely dependent upon their home cultures.)
- Ask the students if there were any proverbs which they found to be difficult to interpret. If there were, discuss why they think those proverbs were difficult.
- Ask the class to create a new definition of proverbs based upon what they’ve learned so far.
Extensions
- This lesson can be followed up with the ReadWriteThink lessons “Proverbs: At Home and Around the World” and “Proverbs: Contemporary Proverbs.”
- Exploring Personal Proverbs: Ask the students to use the Web resources listed below to look for proverbs they like, proverbs that resonate with them. Have each student choose one of those proverbs and write an essay about an occasion in which that proverb rang true or, alternatively, write a fable which illustrates the proverb.
- Proverbs in Literature: Connect the study of proverbs to literary works that rely upon or foreground proverbs. Proverbs are common elements in fables and fairy tales. Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Amy Tan are three authors that make extensive use of proverbs. Some specific works that make extensive use of proverbs include Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain, Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and the Bible.
Web Resources
- What Do You Think Ben Meant?
http://www.fi.edu/franklin/printer/abc.html
- The Franklin Institute provides this list of A to Z proverbs from Benjamin Franklin.
- Insects: Proverbs, Quotes, Sayings
http://www.bijlmakers.com/entomology/proverbs_insects_2.htm
- Includes proverbs about insects collected from around the world. A good site for students to find proverbs.
- Proverbs by Country of Origin
http://www.famous-quotations.com/asp/origins.asp
- A large collection of proverbs from around the world. A good site for students to find proverbs, though the site contains some ads.
- Proverbs from 300 Countries and Cultures
http://creativeproverbs.com/
- Collection of proverbs. Search from 12,000 proverbs from 300 countries and cultures or browse from over 1,500 from 100 countries and cultures. The site contains some advertisements.
- CogWeb's Proverb Resources
http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Discourse/Proverbs/index.html
- Proverbs from around the world and links to external collections. Includes links to proverb journals, articles, and reference materials. Good for both students and teachers.
- Proverbs: More Than Words Say
http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/views/proverbs/index.html
- Short Peace Corps collection of proverbs from around the world. Locations of origin and meaning/context provided. Provides suggestions for teaching with proverbs.
- Proverbial Wisdom
http://www.theotherpages.org/quote-05.html
- A collection of 600+ proverbs from around the world, listed alphabetically.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
- Observe the students as they present and discuss their proverbs. Are they interested and engaged with the discussion? Do their comments demonstrate a growing understanding of the material?
- Collect the Family Proverbs handout and check for completeness. Has the student gathered proverbs and explained their significance?
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1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
6 - Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
9 - Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
11 - Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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