|
|
|
|
| Overview |
Proverbs in one culture are frequently similar to proverbs expressed in other cultures. For instance, the French "Qui vole un oeuf vole un boeuf" translates to "He who steals eggs steals cattle"; but your students will likely be more familiar with the American proverb "Give him an inch and he'll take a mile."
In this lesson, students work with proverbs from home and from around the world, exploring how these maxims are tied to a culture’s values and everyday experience. While doing so, they will learn about proverbs: how they work, how to interpret them, and how they can be culturally and personally significant.
|
| 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.
|
| Student Objectives |
Students will
- learn about proverbs, how they work, and their cultural significance.
- share, study, and interpret proverbs from around the world.
- use the Internet to find proverbs.
- find a proverb that rings true for them and explain its significance.
|
| Instructional Plan |
Resources
Preparation
- While this lesson can stand alone, it is designed as the second of three lessons on proverbs. If your class hasn’t worked with proverbs before now, you may wish to begin with, adapt, or refer to “Proverbs: An Introduction” to help introduce proverbs.
- Print out the Proverbs Definition handout if you want a quick reference guide to proverbs and their cultural significance.
- Print out one copy of the Family Proverbs handout for each student.
- Print out one copy of the Proverbs from around the World handout for each student.
Instruction and Activities
Session One: Exploring Proverbs from around the World
- Explain to students or remind them what proverbs are and discuss the ideas that different cultures have different proverbs, that proverbs convey cultural knowledge and cultural values, and that proverbs will sometimes assume a familiarity with a culture the students may not know. (Refer to the Proverb Definition handout if needed.)
- Distribute the Proverbs from around the World handout and read through it as a class, making sure everyone is familiar with the words in the proverbs. (They don’t need to understand what the proverb means at this point, just the words.)
- Break the class up into groups and ask each group to work through the proverbs, trying to decide what they mean and when they might be used. You might also ask them if they can think of an American proverb that has the same or similar meaning or that would be used in the same context.
- As a class, discuss the proverbs. Ask them how the proverbs are similar to common American proverbs and how they are different. What proverbs were difficult to decipher? What made them difficult?
- Distribute the Family Proverb handout, explain the instructions, and ask students to collect some family proverbs for homework.
Sessions Two and Three: Exploring Proverbs and Home Cultures
- Ask students to share their family proverbs and explain the significance of those proverbs.
- Discuss the proverbs in terms of culture. Do students from similar cultural backgrounds have similar proverbs? Do students of widely different backgrounds have widely different proverbs (say, for instance African and East Asian)? What similarities are there between proverbs from different cultures?
- Ask the students to use the Web resources listed below to search proverbs from their cultural background. “Proverbs by Country of Origin”; “Proverbs from 300 Countries and Cultures”; and “CogWeb’s Proverb Resources” are all good sites to use.
- Have each student select one or two proverbs, making sure to note its cultural origins.
- Using arts and crafts materials, PowerPoint, or a word processor, have students create one or more mini-posters reflecting their cultural background. Each mini-poster should have the proverb and indicate which culture it is from.
- Have the students share their mini-posters with the class. Encourage them to discuss similarities and differences between proverbs and proverbs as reflections of culture. If possible, display the mini-posters in the classroom.
Extensions
- This lesson can be followed up with the ReadWriteThink lesson “Proverbs: Contemporary Proverbs.”
- Exploring Family Proverbs: Have each student choose one of their family proverbs or a proverb they found on the Web 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: As you explore literature from different cultures, ask your students to keep an eye out for proverbs. When you find them, discuss their significance to the text and the culture in which it is set.
Web Resources
- Poor Richard's Almanac: Proverbs
http://www.richhall.com/poor_richard.htm
- Proverbs gathered from Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac. A good site for students to find traditional American proverbs.
- Insects: Proverbs, quotes, sayings, etc.
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 advertisements.
- 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 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.
- Top: Society: Folklore: Literature: Proberbs and Sayings
http://dmoz.org/Society/Folklore/Literature/Proverbs_and_Sayings/
- A collection of over 250 proverbs from around the world.
|
| Student Assessment/Reflections |
Session One
- 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?
- Observe the students’ thinking and involvement as they work in groups to discuss the proverbs. Are they interested and engaged? Are they making contributions? Working together to help each other learn?
Session Two and Three
- Collect the Family Proverbs worksheet and check for completeness. Has the student gathered proverbs and explained their significance?
- Observe the students as they use the Web to search for proverbs. How comfortable do they seem with navigating the sites and finding proverbs related to their cultural background?
- Observe the students as they present on their family proverb. Are they able to explain the meaning of the proverb and its significance to their family? Pay particular attention to their ability to present information orally.
|
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).
5 - Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
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.
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
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).
|
|
|
