Two little birds fly through a winter’s’ day noting that all things are different, no two are just alike.

Materials

• Patterns to make birds
• Shape cut outs, enough for every child in your classroom to have one.  Each cutout needs to be different from any other (think different colors, one might have stripes, etc).  Take each shape cut out, and cut it in half.  Keep the sets of shape cut outs in two piles.
• The day before, freeze food colored water into ice cube trays. 

Vocabulary

Before Reading the Story

Put a line of tape down the middle of your circle/group area. Label one side Yes and the other side No. Tell the children that you are going to play a yes or no listening game. Ask questions that are either yes or no. The children must go and stand on the side of the tape line that goes along with their answer. (Do you have a pet or no pet? Did you take a shower last night? Do you have a big brother or no big brother? Do you like meatloaf?, Are you wearing the color blue?).

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Reading the Story

On the very last page where the two feathers are floating through the air, stop and ask the children if they can see how they are almost alike, but not quite.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

After Reading the Story

Hold up an Almost Alike card set from the resources.  Say, “No two alike, almost but not quite”.  Then ask the children to tell you what they see that is different.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Discovery

Bring in a collection of some natural object found in your region (acorns, rocks, flowers, shells).  Put these out with a magnifying glass for the children to look at and compare how the are alike and different.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials. AND Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Music and Movement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FClGhto1vIg  Sing one of these things is not like the other Verse.  Then ask the children to help tell which one is different.  Use items that are similar in your classroom.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Get your shape cut outs.  Tape one half of them onto the floor throughout the room.  Put the other half into an empty basket or cubby.  Have the children pick a shape half out of the basket.  Tell the children that when you put the music on they are to walk around the room looking for the other half of their shape cut out.  Remind them that though there might be 5 circles, no two are exactly alike so they need to look carefully at their shape cut out.  Put the music on, giving the children ample time to look around the room for their half of the shape cut out.  Turn the music off and the children must go and stand on their shape.  Check to make sure everyone is on the correct shape cutout.  Gather the half shapes the children are holding and pass them out to different children.  Play as long as the children are interested.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions.

Blocks

Challenge the children to build alike structures by taking turns adding a block to their own structure and then the next child copies it.  The second child then adds a new block to his structure and the first child copies it.  Encourage the children to go back and forth like this for a minimum of 5 exchanges.  When they are finished, ask are they just alike or not quite?

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games or using materials; and to interact without being overly directive or submissive.

Art

Ahead of time, cut out the patterns to make birds.  Put these on the table along with your glue.  Let the children collage using the varied shapes to make birds in any manner that they choose. Add markers to embellish.

Creative Arts/Art; progresses in abilities to create drawings, paintings, models, and other art creations that are more detailed, creative, or realistic.

Sand and Water

Add the food colored ice cubes to the water table today with water.  As the children play, ask them to observe what is happening to the ice cubes and to the water around the ice cubes. 

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Library and Writing

Let the children practice writing their name today.  Note how everyone’s name is different and everyone writes their letters a little different from each other.  No two are alike.

Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name.

Dramatic Play

Put out the baby dolls today.  As the children care for their dolls, ask them if they can see how they are alike and how they are different. (My baby is littler that his.  My baby is soft and yours is hard.  My baby has dark skin like Julian and your baby has white skin like me.  My baby gots eyes that close).

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Math and Manipulatives

Play an adding game with the children.  Use cubes or counters to make different addition equations. (Here are three red bears plus 2 blue bears. How many bears in all)?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; develops increased abilities to combine, separate, and name “how many” concrete objects.

Outdoor Play

Bring out the parachute or a large bed sheet.  Have everybody hold along the edges so that you can make the parachute go up and down by moving your arms up and down.  Say the following; (Child, Child what do you say?  Run/Jump/Gallop round the chute today.  The child then follows the direction and runs around the parachute.  You could also say to run under the chute today.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions. AND Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; participates actively in games, outdoor play, and other forms of exercise that enhance physical fitness.

Transitions

Continue using the Almost Alike cards as directed in After Reading the Story.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & problem Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

Resources