Old Wives Tale Lesson Plan

Superstitions and Old Wives Tales Lesson Plan Days- three to four days lesson

Anticipatory set: Engagement Teacher will introduce some superstitions and old wives tales in daily warm up activity along with steps of scientific method. Teacher will also review what a hypothesis statement might look like. Students will be working on an activity were they need to identify the differences between a superstition (old wives tale) and hypothesis. Students will be working in groups of 2. They will be given a group of index cards with either a superstition or hypothesis statement. Students will be required to distinguish the differences and separate them into 2 piles. Focus Instruction: Objective/Purpose: The objective of this lesson is to provide opportunities to identify, distinguish, examine differences, work collaboratively in groups, and to practice scientific method. Students will be able to identify and revise how to develop a hypothesis question and how to conduct the steps of the scientific method. Guided Instruction: After students complete hypothesis-superstition activity teacher will review with class the answers they came up with. Students will then do a walk about around the class (2 questions in back of room & front-both are the same questions. 1st question: what is a superstition or old wives tale that you know? 2nd question: give an example of a hypothesis question you might want to do for an experiment. Teacher will put an example for clarification. Critical Input Experience: Students will be assigned homework to identify at least 5 old wives tales or superstitions (Not discusses in class). They need to ask their family and record them in their interactive notebook with a parent signature. In addition, they need to explain to their parent what hypothesis is. Students will also reflect on the in class activity-hypothesis and superstition by answering a list of questions provided by teacher. Students will also be given the option to use the internet to investigate old wives tales-superstition assignment if no adult can assist them. Next class session Students will break up into groups of three and review the old wives tales-superstition they came up with from their family/internet input. Student will choose 3 out of the 15 they feel can be tested in an experiment.

Collaborative learning Students will work collaboratively in groups of three in conducting an experiment using an old wives tale-superstition that they can choose together. If students can’t pick an appropriate old wives tale to conduct an experiment on students then can choose to do an experiment on their own but they need to follow step by step of the scientific method rubric provided for them. Independent Learning Task: Students will reflect and revise scientific method old wives tale-superstition by rubric given to them. Day before activity is due students will go around the classroom to view 7 old wives tales-superstition projects(rotate by desks groups) They will have opportunity to rate each groups- Given rubric by teacher and provide suggestions to group members. Students will review suggestions and student reflections. Students will revise at home and reflect in interactive journal the suggestions provided by peers.

Examples for teacher for superstitions and old wives tales

 Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day  A rabbit's foot brings good luck  An apple a day keeps the doctor away  To find a four-leaf clover is to find good luck  If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck  If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck  To break a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck  To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck  To find a horseshoe brings good luck  Step on a crack, break your mother's back  You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle  Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires  Our fate is written in the stars  At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold  Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck  Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck  If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get whatever you wish for  To have a wish come true using a wishbone, two people make a wish, then take hold of each end of the bone and pull it until it separates. The person with the longer end gets his or her wish  An itchy palm means money will come your way  A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck  A cat has nine lives  Eating fish makes you smart  Toads cause warts  A cricket in the house brings good luck  Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true  It is bad luck to sing at the table  It is bad luck to sleep on a table  After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty  A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck  A bird that comes in your window brings bad luck  To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck  Goldfish in the pond bring good luck  Goldfish in the house bring bad luck  For good luck, wear new clothes on Easter  An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house  If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip  When a dog howls, death is near  It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom  A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown  To find a penny heads up, brings good luck  To cure a sty, rub it with a gold wedding band  Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve  A drowned woman floats face up, a drowned man floats face down  A person cannot drown before going under three times  To drop a fork means a woman will visit  To drop a knife means a man will visit  To drop a spoon means a child will visit  To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming  If you shiver, someone is casting a shadow on your grave  To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue  The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye  Washing a car will bring rain  You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck  Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle  A cat will try to take the breath from a baby  Warm hands, cold heart  Cold hands, warm heart  It is unlucky to rock an empty rocking chair  To kill an albatross is to cause bad luck to the ship and all upon it  Wearing an opal when it is not your birthstone is bad luck  Smell dandelions, wet the bed  To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck  A forked branch, held with a fork in each hand, will dip and point when it passes over water  If salt was spilt in a particular person's direction, bad luck was coming to that person.  Spilt salt should not be cleaned up but should instead by tossed over the left shoulder, into the face of the Devil.  Enough tears must be cried to dissolve the spilt salt in order to reverse the bad luck that was coming your way.

Superstitions for salt:

 Wearing a small bag of salt around your neck protected you from the Evil Eye.  A pinch of salt was left in a baby's crib until it was christened.  Salt was an unlucky word for sailors and should never be mentioned at sea.  Salt was thrown on the threshold of a new house for good luck.  It is bad luck to give an umbrella as a gift.  If you drop an umbrella, do not pick it up. Instead, have someone else do it for you, or you will be the recipient of bad luck.  If a single woman drops an umbrella, she will never marry.  If an umbrella is opened outside when it is not needed, rain, and other bad weather, will follow.

Good Luck Superstitions:

 It is good luck to wear a wig  Visitors must enter a dressing room with their right foot first  When you leave your dressing room, leave with the left foot first  It is good luck to fall once during a performance  To stave off bad luck during the performance, trip when first going on stage  It is good luck to be pinched before your performance  Have dolls and other lucky charms in the dressing room  If you spill powder, dance on it for good luck  Accidently smear lipstick on your teeth when you are putting it on your lips  If you kick off your shoes and they land on their soles, you will have good luck  A bad rehersal means the performance will be great  It is good luck for someone to wish you "Break a leg!" before the performance  Start a performance thirteen minutes late  Have a cat backstage for luck (although if it runs onstage it means bad luck)  It is good luck to say "shit" or "merde" at least once during the performance  It is good luck to perform Cinderella  It is good luck for one actor to be a hunchback  Drink champagne on opening night  The same costume should be worn night after night when performances are a success

Bad Luck Superstitions:

 It is bad luck to have a play open on a Friday  It is bad luck to open a play on the 13th of the month  It is bad luck to use yellow, green or blue on stage  If shoes are placed on a chair in the dressing room it is bad luck  Having three candles on stage or in the dressing room is bad luck  It is bad luck to leave a piece of soap behind that you've been using on tour  It is bad luck to have real flowers on stage  Do not use real food, drink, or jewelry on stage  Do not open an umbrella on stage  It is bad luck to use the words "turkey" and "bomb" in the play  It is bad luck to whistle at any time during the performance  It is bad luck to perform Macbeth or Robin Hood  It is bad luck to look over the shoulder of another actor while they apply makeup  Do not have pictures in the dressing room  People should not knit near the stage  It is bad luck to have a picture of an ostrich on stage  It is bad luck to wear peacock feathers  Do not quote the last word of a forthcoming play before the performance