Compare and Contrast A Colorful World

Grade Level: PK- K
Classroom Time: Two 45 min. period

Skills Addressed:

ELA skill: compare/contrast
ELA skill: categorizing
Visual arts skill: warm/cool colors
Music skill: recognize contrast in tempos/demonstrate awareness of contrast when singing with movement

Process: Day One

Teacher will introduce the skill of compare and contrast by posting two sentence strips with the words and definitions on them.
Compare - When we compare two things we tell how they are alike
Contrast - When we contrast two things we tell how they are different.
She/He will call two students to the front of the class (preferably a boy and a girl) and tell the class that they will compare and contrast the students’ clothing.
Access http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/venn. This page will allow the teacher to create the Venn Diagram needed to complete this activity.
Fill it out accordingly:
Project Title - Compare and Contrast
By - Kindergarten, First Grade, Second Grade (students in class)
Label Circle 1 - First Child’s Name
Label Circle 2 - Second Child’s Name
Teacher then clicks on the word “Next.” The demo page should appear, but simply click on the X in the right corner to delete it. The Venn Diagram to be used for the lesson should appear.
As students discuss likenesses of the two students show them that these will be recorded in the overlapping circles. The differences will be recorded under each student’s name.
To complete the diagram, type the word in the box that says “enter concept”, and click on the orange color under this box. Drag the word where it goes.
Click the “finish” button, and the diagram may be printed if the teacher wishes

The teacher will then access http://www.magickeys.com/books/#yc, and scroll down to “Free Storybooks to read.” She/He will click on “Young Children” and then click on the story “Sniffy and Fluffy Have an Adventure.” Click on “Take me to Sniffy and Fluffy.” Read this interactive story to the students.
Have the students compare and contrast the characters - Sniffy and Fluffy.

The teacher will follow the http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/venn website to access the Venn Diagram for this activity following the same directions above.

Read the story, The Three Big Pigs by Everett Morse. (You may access online
http://www.createatale.com). This is an interactive version that allows the class to make choices which influence the text. As described in #3 below, use this text to compare and contrast the brick version with one of the other houses built by the three big pigs.
Using the story above, lead students in guided practice of the skill: compare/contrast using the interactive Venn diagram. This may be found online: www.readwritethink.org/materials/venn/index.html. You will want to practice the interactive process. Click on the HELP tab and then on Navigation to understand the process. When you are finished with either the HELP or the EDIT tabs, clicking on them removes the window. You will notice that only the categories move to the Venn diagram. The comments appear when you print the document, so you will want to do that.
Introduce students to the concepts of warm and cool colors. Explore warm and cool colors, using this interactive site created by the Minneapolis Institute of Art http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/watch_color_warm.cfm
Display two pieces of art: Andre Derain’s painting: The Turning Road http://www.mfah.org/exhibition.asp?par1=1&par2=1&par3= 84&par4= 1&par5=1&par6=1&par7=&lgc=4&eid=&currentPage=1

Paul Cezanne’s painting: Bottom of the Ravine
http://www.mfah.org/main.asp?target=artsearch&par1=&par2= Cezanne++++++&par3=&par4=93&lgc=4&currentPage=1

Compare and contrast these two landscape paintings. Have students list the cool colors used in Cezanne’s painting and the warm colors used in Derain’s work. Which art work do you think is warmer in real temperature? (Derain) Cool? (Cezanne)
Let your students identify which colors would they use to paint winter and summer scenes.

Process: Day Two:

Review the skill compare/contrast through the graphic organizer that students completed in the introduction of the lesson on Day 1.
Introduce the musical concept of tempo, how fast or slow a musical piece may
be sung or played. Visit this web site for a step by step lesson on teaching the tempo http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/22.html. The link takes you to the lesson. There are no additional links to make.
Access http://www.classicalarchives.com. Click on the right-hand side button labeled log in or subscribe now. (Directions will be given on how to become a member. It is free for a limit amount of files per day). Once you have logged on as a member, have students listen to two contrasting pieces of music. Suggested listening: Piano Sonata No.1 in F, Op. 2 No. 1, Adagio, and Prestissimo by Beethoven (same musical work). To do this, click on composers, then click on Beethoven, then under piano works click on piano sonatas. These pieces are located under Piano Sonata No.1 in F, Op. 2 No located as the second bullet after you have clicked on piano sonatas. Instruct the students to conduct the music as they listen. (Since both of these pieces may be a little long for listening in its entirety, play only a small portion to keep the students focused.)

Visual Art Extension Activities: Painter

A landscape in warm, cool and neutral colors. Click on link for art activity directions: http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/create/ try_this_colored_landscape.html

Literature Connections

The Color of Things by Vivienne Shalom, It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss (this book was written about feelings and colors).

National ELA Standards

Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g. sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g. spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre, to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

National Visual Arts Standards Painter

National Standards for Music Education

Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
Evaluating music and music performances.
Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

The mission of Project GRAD is to ensure a quality public education for all students in economically disadvantaged communities so that high school and college graduation rates increase.