Kelli Nordahl

TIE 535 – Dr. Hansen

Gagne’s Events of Instruction

Proverbial Use

Topic:  Understanding proverbs as figurative language and connecting them to our own lives.

1. Gain Attention:

1. Share a personal anecdote of when a family member gave you some advice in the form of a proverb: my dad told me that you’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  Meaning being, that kindness may go farther than gruffness.

2. Establish Purpose:

1. One of the great features of literature is to appreciate how it’s written and the use of figurative language therein.  This particular lesson will focus in on the use of proverbs in an excerpt from the classic text Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
2. How does the author’s use of proverbs affect you as a reader?  How can proverbs be specific to a geographic location or culture?

3. Stimulate recall of prior knowledge:

1. Ask students/classmates if they already know any examples of proverbs.  If so, write a few of them on the board.  If silent, maybe throw out a few common examples that they’re probably familiar with (“The grass is always greener on the other side”).

4. Present Content:

1. Have students help define what a proverb is through their observations of the ones written on the board.  It should culminate to something along the lines of: a brief, pithy saying containing wisdom or advice.
2. Things Fall Apart is ripe with figurative language, so use a paragraph excerpt from that with which to model.  Give them a piece of paper with the textually enhanced paragraph on it.  “You see, I owe that man a thousand coweries.  But he has not come to wake me up in the morning for it.  I shall pay you, but not today.  Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them.  I shall pay my big debts first” (7-8).
3. Identify that the bolded text is the proverb and reinforce how it fits our definition.
4. Ask for a possible interpretation of that proverb: You must be assertive to get what you want.
5. Since a critical part of reading is making connections with the text in some manner (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world), as for another possible connection: “the squeaky wheel gets the oil”; connection to a life experience; reminds you of another book you’ve read.
6. Give second paragraph example. “There must be something behind it,” he said, wiping the foam of wine from his mustache with the back of his left hand.  “There must be a reason for it.  A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing.”
7. Give students three minutes to write down their own interpretations and connections before calling on anyone.
8. Ask students to share their varying answers exploring the array of connections as well as recurring themes.
9. Ask them what that particular proverb informs you of the geographic region in which it is spoken.  (Infer: it’s hot; there are toads).  Thus, is the proverb transferable to your home?  Why or why not?

5. Guided Learning and    6.  Elicit Performance:

1. Give students one chapter from Things Fall Apart to use as the sample piece.  Working independently, ask them to identify three proverbs, an interpretation, and a connection for each of them.  Allow about 20 minutes in total to complete the project.  

1. Provide Feedback:

1. Circulate the room while they are doing this to make sure everyone is on track with things.
2. Then, with a partner, have them share their responses, looking for common traits and divergences.
3. With that same partner, have each pair select one proverb that they think is unique to the story’s setting (Nigeria) and one that would be transferable to Chicago.

1. Assess Performance:

1. As a whole class, share some of each other’s connections to the proverbs.  Then discuss how place/culture played into the proverbs.  Some are tied to attributes of a specific culture or place, whereas others are more universal.
2. Collect their proverb papers (Proverb, Interpretation, and Connection).

2. Enhance Retention:

1. How did the use of proverbs enhance the text?  How does it enhance your own use of language?  What proverbs do you use now?  What do they say about your culture and/or location?

Proverbs Rubric