Language Arts/ Writing Activity

Objective: To demonstrate understanding of proverbs by identifying and writing an illustrative story.

Materials: "Picture Cards" from Proverbial Wisdom, Overhead Transparency of one "Picture Card" (optional), paper, & pens/ pencils

Procedures:

1. Discuss with students what a proverb is.
2. In small groups, have the students generate a list of proverbs they have heard. Discuss the proverbs and situations they might apply to.
3. Tell the students that you are going to tell them a story that uses a proverb correctly but they should try to guess the proverb that ends the story.

   Proverb Story
   "Sonya and the President's five other speech writers were arguing all night about what the President should say in his speech the next day. By the following afternoon, they were still arguing and there was no speech for the President to deliver at his appearance. He remembered what a fine job Sonya had done by herself writing a speech for him a month earlier. He muttered to himself, "Boy, this really shows that _ _ _ _ _ _ ."

   (Draw lines on the board to represent each word as a hint if the students need it. You can also reproduce the drawing of "Too many cooks spoil the broth" if the students need another hint.)

4. Create a story with the class using another "picture card" from the deck. If possible enlarge it and put on the overhead for students to identify.

5. Have students discuss the meaning of the proverb and different situations in which it might be used. As a class, create a story that would show the proper use of the proverb.

6. After the students have created a story as a class that uses a proverb correctly, challenge them to create stories in small teams of two or three students. Have the students randomly choose one "picture card" and identify the proverb. Circulate throughout room to help students identify proverbs and then define them correctly. Once the groups have correctly identified the proverb, instruct them to create a story and leave only blanks for the proverb (just like it is done on the picture card in the game).

7. After all groups are complete, either have students switch papers or have the groups read their stories out loud for the other groups to guess.

8. Before the students leave, challenge them to use a proverb in a conversation at home with their families.