Children's Book Press - My First Book of Proverbs / Mi Primer Libro de Dichos

Wise Words Around Us

6-8 strips of paper, 5” wide; reference books on proverbs and sayings (see Resources)

	Collect a group of international sayings from reference books on proverbs and sayings (see Resources) and write them on strips of paper using bright colored markers. Display them on the walls in the classroom reading corner, or tape them to a world map near their country of origin.
	Near your display, create a space titled “Our Proverbs / Nuestros Dichos.” Ask students to ask their parents and other relatives for sayings. As your students collect sayings from their families and community members during the unit of study, post them here.
	Also display books of proverbs in your classroom reading corner.

Refrains Heard 'Round the World
Students generate a definition of proverbs and a list of those they have heard. Then they discuss the different things proverbs can communicate.

20 min.

large group

Flip chart and markers

Show students the cover of My First Book of Proverbs / Mi Primer Libro de Dichos. Ask them what they think the terms “proverbs” or "dichos" mean. If they have trouble defining the term(s), show them several of the examples in the book. Students may say that a proverb is a saying, a little bit of good advice, or an observation of the way people behave.

Encourage students to think of proverbs that they've heard from their parents and families. Record their suggestions on the flip chart.

Sample proverbs:
He's a chip off the old block. / De tal palo tal astilla.
Better late than never. / Más vale tarde que nunca.
Silence is golden. / La palabra es plata, el silencio oro.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. / A caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes.
When the cat's away, the mice will play. / Gato que se va, ratón que se divierte.
Be sure to point out that some proverbs translate well or exist in several different languages, and others don't translate at all from one language to another.

Have your class examine what each proverb means. One by one, uncover the literal meaning of each saying, and then go on to draw conclusions about the proverb's possible wider meanings. Some questions to ask may be: When have you heard this? What else could this be talking about? When else could this be true? Can you think of a reason why somebody might say this proverb? What are you supposed to learn when you hear it?

Diving In

20 min.

Large or small group

Introduce the book to students. The focus of this first reading should be reading for pleasure; encourage students to enjoy the art and the proverbs. In order to foster this enjoyment, try some of the following activities:

	Have students look at the cover of the book and guess what it might be about. Write the students' answers on a large sheet of paper and review their responses after they have completed their reading.
	Take a “picture walk” through the book and discuss the illustrations with the students. Have students look for and comment on unusual and repeating elements in the art; for example, the watermelon- and comb-heads on some of the figures. Notice the frames used each page and discuss the relationship between the frame and the rest of the illustration.
	Select, or have students select, particular illustrations and discuss how the illustration explains the proverb on that page.

Web of Proverbs
Students make a word web around the word proverb, then discuss how the words they generated are similar or different from the initial word.

30 min.

whole class

CA Reading Standard 1.4: Students use knowledge of antonyms, synonyms, homophones, and homographs to determine the meaning of words.

Flip chart and markers

If your class is primarily Spanish-speaking, you may wish to introduce this lesson by writing the word dichos on the blackboard and then following the steps outlined below.

Review with the students the meaning of the word proverb. Write the word proverb on the board.

Now, ask the class to think of other words that describe a sentence or group of sentences that make a particular point or express a single idea, thought, or bit of wisdom. Record their suggestions as part of a word web.

Point out that the words don't mean quite the same thing. Ask the class about the differences between these words. When would you use one instead of another? Why?

Half a Proverb Isn't Better than One
Students play a game in which they form the proverbs from the book by matching their subjects to the appropriate predicates, and then discuss the proverbs' meanings.

20 min.

Whole class and pairs

CA Reading Standard 2.6: Students extract appropriate and significant information from text, including problems and solutions.

A paper bag or hat; drawing paper and crayons; slips of paper; scissors; pens or pencils; drawing paper and markers or crayons.

Distribute slips of paper and pens to your students. Ask each student to copy down one proverb from the book. Then ask students to cut their pieces of paper in half. Now, each new slip of paper will contain half a proverb. For example, one piece may contain one of the following phrases:
- The early bird / El pájaro que se levanta temprano
- gets the worm / agarra primero el gusano
- A bird in the hand / Más vale pájaro en mano
- is worth a hundred in the air / que cien volando
- Getting up at dawn / No por mucho madrugar
- will not make the morning come sooner / se amanece más temprano
Have each student choose one slip to hold onto, then place the other slip into a hat or bag. Next, pass the hat or bag around and have each student pick out another slip.

Now, have students circulate and find the classmate who holds the slip that completes their proverbs. (You may wish to stop the process in the middle and have several students read their own slip and that of the classmate nearest them, to form a new, and silly proverb.)

When students have completed their proverbs, ask them to discuss with their partners what they think their proverbs mean. Remind them that every proverb can be applied to new situations — “The early bird gets the worm” isn't just about birds waking up early. What else could it mean? Ask students to brainstorm a list of examples or situations that the proverb could apply to. Have students share their ideas with the whole class.

Then, ask pairs to illustrate their proverbs. Ask them to pick one item from the list they brainstormed and draw it, demonstrating the meaning of the proverb. Each drawing should include the words of the proverb, as in the book.

Gather the drawings and form a new book that you may wish to call Our Very Own First Book of Proverbs.

Same and Different
Students understand how different proverbs can sometimes present opposing nuggets of wisdom.

1 hour

whole class

CA Reading Standard (Literary Response and Analysis) 3.0: Students read and respond to a wide variety of significant works of children's literature. They distinguish between the structural features of the text and literary terms or elements (e.g., theme, plot, setting, and characters).

Flip chart and markers

To guide students towards an understanding that proverbs can sometimes present opposing nuggets of wisdom, have students contrast and compare “The early bird gets the worm”/ “El pájaro que se levanta temprano, agarra primero el gusano” to “Getting up at dawn will not make the morning come sooner”/ “No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano.” Discuss how the early bird proverb suggests that the first person to undertake something is more likely to be successful, while the getting up at dawn saying suggests that events that are destined to happen will happen despite any efforts to bring about change. How do these two sayings contradict each other?

Then have students discuss “Where there’s a will there’s a way” / “Donde hay gana hay maña” and consider which of the two previous sayings it most resembles. Students may say that it resembles the first one, in that it suggests that people can accomplish whatever they wish, as long as they try.

Other proverbs that are appropriate for compare and contrast activities are:
- “One bee doesn’t make a hive” / “Una abeja no hace una colmena” and “Many littles make a lot” / “Muchos pocos hacen un mucho.”
- “From the plate to the mouth the soup sometimes spills” / “Del plato a la boca a veces se cae la sopa” and “It’s a long way from the saying to the doing” / “Del dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho” (back cover).