Language Arts - Grade 1 TEKS 1.12G - Identifying Similarities and Differences in Characters by Meghan Kerr

Category:  Language Arts
Grade Level:  1st Grade
Objective: 

Language Arts TEKS 1.12G  Reading/comprehension.
The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend selections read aloud and selections read independently. The student is expected to:  identify similarities and differences across texts such as in topics, characters, and problems.

Music TEKS 1.6A  Response/evaluation. 
The student responds to and evaluates music and musical performance.  The student is expected to: distinguish between beat/rhythm, higher/lower, louder/softer, faster/slower, and same/different in musical performances.

Behavioral Objective:
The student will identify similarities and differences in characters.

Materials: 
Overhead of poems The Queen of Hearts and Old King Cole, white board, markers, tuned and non-tuned percussion instruments, overhead projector.

The Queen of Hearts by Mother Goose The Queen of Hearts She made some tarts, All on a summer's day; The Knave of Hearts He stole the tarts, And took them clean away. The King of Hearts Called for the tarts And beat the Knave full sore; The Knave of Hearts Brought back the tarts And vowed he'd steal no more.

Old King Cole by Mother Goose Old King Cole Was a merry old soul And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe And he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three. Now every fiddler, he had a fiddle And a very fine fiddle had he; Tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers. Oh there's none so rare, As can compare With King Cole and His fiddlers three.

Activities: 
The students will be split into groups, and make a list of their favorite characters in a book they have been reading.  Once the list has been made, the students will compare and contrast the different characters.  Recite the two poems they have been working on for the majority of the year. T hen have students draw a picture of the characters in the poem and participate in a class discussion about the similarities and differences in the characters.  While the students are discussing the two poems, write their words on the white board.  Choose words that are from a poem and words that relate to the poems, but are not in them.  For example the words may be 1) King, 2) Was a Merry Old Soul, 3) Make-Believe.

Process:

• Say the words with entire group.

• Divide into groups. and say with - start with a steady beat (one syllable).

• Add body percussion to words.

• Drop words - body percussion alone.

• Move to non-tuned percussion with words.

• Drop words - non-tuned percussion alone.

• Move to tuned percussion with words.

• Introduce instruments from low to high.

• Drop words - tuned percussion alone.

• Once everyone is comfortable with their parts, add the chant rhythm (i.e., words) in a high glockenspiel or xylophone.

	Beat 1	Beat 2	Beat 3	Beat 4
High = snap = triangle = glock	make	bel	ieve	Silly
Middle = clap = claves = x. xylophone	Was a	merry	old	soul
Low = pat = hand drum = b. xylophone	King	King	King	King

Evaluation: 
Observe the students in small groups identifying the similarities and differences in the two poems.  Talk about the similarities and differences in books the students have read in the classroom.  Observe children playing instruments to see if they can distinguish the difference between faster and slower musical performances.