Benjamin Franklin famously had an aphorism for every situation—most of which we still use in modern vernacular. Introduce class members to Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack with a presentation that details the characteristics of aphorisms.

Concepts

benjamin franklin, aphorisms, american literature, parallel structure, nursery rhymes

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members craft and illustrate their own aphorisms, and then collect their pithy sayings into a class almanac
• Have copies of Poor Richard's Almanack and the Farmer's Almanac available for class members to examine
• The Old Farmer's Almanac is available on line; ask class members to track predictions and rate the accuracy of the long-range forecasts

Classroom Considerations

• Focuses on biographical information about Franklin

Pros

• Includes examples of aphorisms from various authors

Cons

• None of Franklin's aphorisms are included in the presentation

Common Core

RL.5.4 L.5.5.a RL.6.4 RL.7.4 RL.8.4 L.6.5.a L.7.5.a L.8.5.a RH.6-8.1 RH.6-8.2