Bad News Travels Fast

Language Arts

What You Need

• Folk Sayings (PDF file print and copy)

What to Do

1. Write "Bad news travels fast" on the board and ask the class what the expression means. (News of bad luck, trouble, or malice is usually more interesting than good news.) Ask the class if this is true in their own lives. List their examples.

2. Explain that this expression has been around in various forms since the time of the ancient Greeks. In fact, it is as true today as it was back then! Such expressions are called "folk sayings," "proverbs," or "maxims."

3. Divide the class into groups and distribute the list of folk sayings. Instruct students to explain what each expression means and to list two examples of how the proverb relates to their own lives.

4. When they are finished, each student may then select one proverb from the list or from their own research. The students will then write a three- to five-paragraph narrative about how the proverb relates to a personal experience.

Teaching Options

• Have the class compose their own folk sayings. They might also illustrate and publish the proverbs.

• As part of the Farmer's Almanac, Benjamin Franklin wrote proverbs to motivate 18th century Americans to work hard, save their money, and live healthy lives. Students can research and write about early American folk sayings.