BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: Poor Richard's Almanac & Research Project by Teach Simple

About this resource

What's inside this resource

Eighteen numbered proverbs from Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac, such as "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "The early bird catches the worm," are printed on a two-page worksheet with blank space beneath each for students to write a modern-day translation or interpretation in their own words. The final item on each page asks students to write and interpret their own original pithy saying in the style of Franklin. A complete two-page answer key follows, offering one or two sample modern interpretations for every proverb, such as reading "A rolling stone gathers no moss" as meaning someone who doesn't settle down rarely accumulates wealth. The teacher directions describe a second component, a biography summary graphic organizer covering highlights of Franklin's life.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Students will interpret figurative and idiomatic 18th-century proverbs and restate their meaning in modern language.
Students will compose an original pithy saying modeled on Franklin's proverb style and explain its meaning.

Teaching tips

Model two or three proverb translations as a class before releasing students to work through the remaining sixteen independently, as the teacher directions themselves suggest.
Use the answer key's sample interpretations as a discussion benchmark rather than the single correct answer, since most proverbs support more than one reasonable modern phrasing.
Save extra class time for the 'write your own' proverb prompts at the end of each page, since composing an original saying is a heavier task than translating a given one.

Skills covered

Figurative language interpretation — students translate 18th-century proverbs like 'Little strokes fell great oaks' into modern equivalent meanings.
Idiom and aphorism composition — students write and explain an original pithy saying modeled on Franklin's style.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How does the 'write your own' prompt at the end of each page differ from the main translation task?

After translating the given proverbs into modern language, students use one additional box per page to invent their own original pithy saying in Franklin's style and explain what it means, rather than interpreting an existing quote.

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

proverbs
figurative language
Benjamin Franklin

Topics

Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard's Almanac literature biography poor richards almanac quotes ben franklin almanac poor richard's almanac sayings figurative language graphic organizer answer key

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