TeleProverbs

Project Summary
This project was made popular on the FrEdMail Network by Dennis Sayers, a sysop located in Connecticut. It's a great one to introduce right before the holidays. Students will enjoy asking their relatives the proverbs they know and will return to class with a wealth of proverbs to share. The proverbs will be classified, put on a database, and sent to distant schools who will do the same. Students will compare the proverbs from around the world and produce an international booklet of proverbs as a final project.

Suggested Grade Level
3rd to 12th

Estimated Time Required
4 to 6 weeks

Student Learning Objectives

• To understand the cultural transmission of proverbs
• To practice surveying, analyzing, and comparing data
• To practice word processing and database skills
• To participate in an international, cooperative activity
• To engage in electronic transfer of information

Writing Prompt

This project was made popular on the FrEdMail Network by Dennis Sayers.

Your assignment is to ask parents, relatives, and friends for proverbs they have heard passed down from generation to generation. A database will then be made to classify the collected proverbs from around the world. They will be compared and compiled into an international booklet of proverbs.

Proverb:________________________________

Where learned: __________________________

Name, age of student:_____________________

School:_________________________________

City:___________________________________

Country:________________________________

Examples

Classification: Physical Characteristics
Proverb: Don't judge a book by its cover
Learned: Librarian
Name: John Smith
Age: 13
School: Lincoln Junior High School
Location: Oceanside, California, U.S.A.

Classification: Personal Habits
Proverb: The early bird catches the worm
Learned: Mom
Name: Sally Jones
Age: 12
School: Bell Junior High
Location: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A.