The Wisdom of African Proverbs (Upper-Intermediate Lesson)

UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2/C1) Lesson on African Proverbs

Warm-up Questions

1. What is a proverb? How is it different from an idiom?
2. Do you have favorite proverbs that you use often?
3. What are some ideas about life that the older generation from your culture tries to pass down to younger people?

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This lesson plan was created by Matthew Barton of EnglishCurrent.com (copyright). Site members may photocopy and edit the file for their classes. Permission is not given to rebrand the lesson, redistribute it on another platform, or sell it as part of commercial course curriculum. Claude was used to generate answer keys and some famous quotations. For questions, contact the author.

Comprehension Question Answer Key:

1) The narrator argues that "look before you leap" has been weakened by overexposure — it has been repeated so often that its truth no longer feels effective or surprising.

2) The narrator believes African proverbs have power not because they present new ideas, but because they lend fresh life to essential ones — reminding us of what we already know but have become too worn down to remember

Vocabulary answer key: 1-i, 2-d, 3-g, 4-h, 5-j, 6-b, 7-e, 8-a, 9-f, 10-k, 11-c

Proverb Situations  -- Applicable to Round 1

1. Sarah trained for a marathon in perfect weather conditions every day. On race day, it rained heavily and she struggled greatly.
2. A small country protests against the human rights violations of a powerful nation, but nobody listens.
3. A child who is bullied at school for years becomes an adult with deep anger and trust issues. He is going to his high school reunion next week.
4. A cook gets angry at a restaurant manager, causing a huge scene. The cook is fired. Other restaurants are unwilling to hire him after hearing about it.
5. A junior employee repeatedly raises concerns about a safety issue but is ignored by management. The issue causes a major accident.
6. A man spends twenty years building a successful restaurant from scratch. His son inherits it, makes a series of poor decisions, and it closes within a year.

Applicable to Round 2: (Note: Take some from Round 3 if you aren’t doing the third round)

7. A parent cannot accept that their child does not want an arranged marriage. The child runs away at the age of eighteen.
8. History textbooks in India were written entirely by the British. The books glorify many aspects of colonialism.
9. A politician who grew up in poverty becomes wealthy and powerful, and then cuts benefits for low-income families.
10. A legendary boxer who stayed in the sport too long is finally showing his age. Younger, hungrier fighters are speaking disrespectfully about him and lining up to fight him.
11. A driver runs a red light and causes an accident. He gets a small fine and moves on with his life. The person he hit spends two years in physiotherapy.
12. A government consistently underfunds a poor neighbourhood for decades — no parks, crumbling schools, no investment. One summer, riots break out.

Applicable to Round 3

13. A government that has oppressed its people for decades is beginning to lose control. Small protest groups are emerging across the country.
14. A company executive makes a terrible decision that costs hundreds of employees their jobs, but faces no consequences himself.
15. Two colleagues who have worked closely together for a decade fall into a bitter disagreement over credit for a project. Their manager is shocked.
16. A couple argues every day, making life at home miserable for their children. Still, they stay together because divorce goes against their beliefs.
17. Gina, a marriage counselor, has been divorced three times.
18. Lucy married a famous race car driver, Mario Venetti, who passes away at the age of 30. Lucy raises their three children as a single mom while working in the evenings and weekends. People always ask her about her famous husband, and she is largely forgotten outside of his shadow.
19. The company owner refuses to start selling his products online. He thinks it’s better that customers come into the store where they can talk to a sales representative. Overall, he doesn’t want to change the business model.

True or Fake Proverbs Activity

A - No shame, no blame (fake)

B - If you can't beat them, cheat them (fake)

C - Two lefts make a right (fake)

D - A shut mouth improves mental health (fake)

E - You can't fall in love and stay on your feet (fake)

Collocations: 1-g, 2-e, 3-a, 4-f, 5-d, 6-b, 7-c