“The Colors of Us”

A Cyberlesson

By: Kinga Decsy

Introduction

We are all alike, we are all people . . . but

we are also all different. Join Lena on her

walking adventure around town as she

discovers “the colors of us”.

Resources & Materials

*A copy of the book The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

*A copy of the book All The Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger

*Computer with Internet access

*Pencil

*Reading Journal

BEFORE Reading Activity #1

Before you have the story The Colors of Us read to you, Lena wants to know if you have ever seen the colors of. .

.

Cinnamon French Toast Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcake

Peach Honey

Reddish Brown Leaves

Light Cocoa Butterscotch Pizza Crust Bronze

Amber

Ginger Chili Powder

CoconutCoffee

Toffee

Click on the star to learn more about some of these objects.

Did you know that . . .

Cinnamon comes from the bark of a tree.

French Toast was first made over 2,000 years ago.

By the time most American children are 18 years old, they eat about 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches.

The flavor of honey depends on the flowers that the nectar came from.

Bright sunlight is needed for leaves to turn red. If there is little or no sunlight, the leaves will turn yellow instead.

Butterscotch is made from butter and brown sugar.

Bronze is a metal that was used to make swords, shields and spears.

Amber is the resin or sap of ancient pine trees and comes in many different colors.

Ginger comes from a root and helps to soothe a stomach ache.

Chili powder comes from a chili pepper and is very, very spicy hot. The Mayan people used to rub chili powder on their gums to relieve toothaches.

Coconuts are the largest known seeds in the world.

Toffee is a sticky candy made from molasses, sugar, butter and milk.

Before Reading Activity #2

1. What you think makes people different colors? Write your ideas in your Reading

Journal.

Now click on the to visit a website about what makes people different colors.

2. Write some of the new information that you have learned in your Reading Journal.

DURING Reading Activity

While you are listening to The Colors of Us, help Lena map her way around her neighborhood by creating a Story Map.

Click the to print the Story Map.

Then click on the to start the story.

AFTER Reading Activity

Think about all of the different ways which Lena thought of to describe the color of the skin of her friends and family. Click on

the to go back to the different foods.

Decide which food comes closest to your own skin color.

Now click on the to print out a bar graph. Interview your classmates and teacher. Then graph the different skin colors in

our classroom. (Remember, color in only one box for each person!)

These are the “colors of us”!

What is the “color of you”?

CinnamonFrench Toast

Peanut Butter

Chocolate

Cup Cake

Peach Honey

Reddish

Brown LeavesLight Cocoa Butterscotch Pizza Crust Bronze Amber

GingerChili Powder Coconut Coffee Toffee

Go

Back

“The Colors of Us”By: ______________________

Cinnamon French Toast Peanut Chocolate Peach Honey Reddish Light Butterscotch Pizza Bronze Amber Ginger Chili Coconut Coffee Toffee

Butter Cup Cake Leaves Cocoa Crust Powder

BEYOND Reading ActivityClick on the to listen to All the Colors We Are, a

picture book about the differences in people’s skin color.

1. How is All The Colors We Are the same as the book The Colors of Us?

2. How is it different?

We will be creating a Venn Diagram as a whole class. If you would like to start your own Venn Diagram, click on

the to print one, otherwise, you can answer the questions in your Reading Journal.

Rubric

Before Reading 4 Student reads all of the informational sentences about the various colors. 3 Student reads most of the informational sentences about the various colors.

2 Student reads a few of the informational sentences about the various colors. 1 Student does not read any of the informational sentences about the various colors.

During Reading4 Student completes all 8 parts of the Story Map.3 Student completes 5-7 parts of the Story Map.

2 Student completes 2-4 parts of the Story Map. 1 Student completes 0-1 parts of the Story Map.

After Reading 4 Student interviews and records the skin color of all his/her classmates and the teacher. 3 Student interviews and records the skin color of most of his/her classmates and the teacher. 2 Student interviews and records the skin color of some of his/her classmates and the teacher. 1 Student interviews and records the skin color of 1 or 2 or none of his/her classmates and the

teacher.

Beyond Reading 4 Student answered both questions with a lot of supporting detail. 3 Student answered both questions with some supporting detail. 2 Student answered one question with some supporting detail 1 Student answered one question with little or no detail.

TOTAL SCORE: _____

Credit Page

Katz, Karen. (1999). The Colors of Us. NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Kissinger, Katie. (1994). All The Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color. Minnesota: Redleaf Press.

http://www.cosmicchile.com/xdpy/kb/chile-pepper-facts.html Chili Powder

http://www.mistupid.com/facts/page034.htm Cinnamon

http://www.childrensrecipes.com/fun__french_toast_facts.htm French Toast

http://www.peanutbutter.com/funfacts.asp Peanut Butter

http://www.foodfunandfacts.com/honeyfacts.htm Honey

http://ncnatural.com/wildflwr/fall/fallfact.html Red Leaves

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/ButterscotchVsCaramel.htm Butterscotch

http://library.thinkquest.org/23492/data/bronze.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0318 Bronze

http://www.geonord.org/shows/amber.html#anchor1895817 Amber

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/ginger.htm Ginger

http://www.crk.umn.edu/library/MCG/fact.htm Coconut

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toffee Toffee

Story MapPlease print this Story Map. Fill in the setting and the people Lena meets at each place she visits.

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1.

2.

3.

4.

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1.

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1.

2.

_______________

1.

2.

______________________________

1._______________

1.

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