Look Closely!
Describing Similarities and Differences Between Objects
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 0: Foundation for LiteracyStage 1: Beginning Literacy
Ages:
3-6
Grade Range:
PreK K 1stFood Groups:
Primary: Vocabulary, Knowledge Building
Transcript
Teacher: Guess what? I have a magic basket here. And I have lots of beautiful things in there. And if you can read there it says... Teacher and Students: Same/Different Teacher: Okay, this is what were going to do. Were going to play a game of same and different. What do I have here? Students: An apple and a strawberry. Teacher: An apple and a strawberry. What is the same about these two things? Student: Theyre red! Teacher: Theyre red. Student: You can eat them! Teacher: I can eat them, right? Are these vegetables? Student: Yes! Student: No! Teacher: What are they? Students: Fruits! Teacher: Fruits. I also see a difference between these two things here. [Students Name]? Student: One is big and one is small. Teacher: One is small, one is big. That is the difference. Teacher: I am going to go by your table, youre going to reach in the basket, and youre going to pick two things from here. While you have your objects in your hands, youre going to be looking at them and thinking, what is the same about it and what is different about it. Teacher: Everybody in the table can be helping out a person, okay? Not just a person that has the objects in their hands. Teacher: What is the same about what you have in your hands? Student: Theyre bears. Teacher: Theyre bears. Okay what is different about those bears? Student: One has wings. Teacher: One has wings... Student: And one doesnt. Teacher: And one doesnt. Okay, what else is different about those bears, [Students Name]? Student: This one has little ears, and this one has blue. Teacher: The color is different, right? Excellent, very good. Teacher: Okay, what do you have in your hands? Student: Balls. Teacher: How many? Student: Two. Teacher: Two balls. Okay, tell me something that is the same about this? Student: Theyre both balls? Teacher: Theyre both balls. Okay, what else is the same? Student: They both have lines. Teacher: They have lines. Okay. Teacher: What is different about them? Student: One is baseball, one is soccer. Teacher: Excellent!
Activity Objective
The goal of Look Closely!: Describing Similarities and Differences Between Objects is to expand students' expressive vocabularies and thinking skills. The teacher has baskets containing various items and students around tables are asked to select two items from their basket and explain how they think these items are the same and how they are different. They make several selections of pairs of items, describing as many similarities and differences as they can. The teacher models and encourages them to think of higher order classifications.
Quick Tips
Additional Comments:
- Show students pictures that are seemingly the same but have them find and describe the differences. There are many useful websites online to help with this. - You can extend this activity by asking students to think about their best friend or a family member and describe how they are the same or different. - The possibilities of this activity are seemingly endless. You can ask students to talk about different emotions, seasons, animals, and so much more!
Other Recipes by this Teacher
Exploring Seasons: Using Interactive Discussion to Support Descriptive Writing
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Making Teddy Bears: Motivating Descriptive Writing
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