Exploring Color Vocabulary

Lesson Objective:

Students explore color terms and related meanings and metaphors in cultural and literary contexts.

Instructional Focus:

Using and understanding color terms and related meanings

Supplies:

Visual Thesaurus and Student Handout

Any one of the following: color wheel, fashion or home decorating magazines with color words, box of Crayons, markers, or other art materials with color words.

Instructional Plan:

Students are asked to perform three major tasks:

1. Use the main colors to explore synonymous color terms and related metaphorical meanings of color words;
2. Recognize the extent to which the basic color terms are used metaphorically or analogically;
3. Write a description or story using the color terms and associated meanings.

Variations:

Individual: Lesson as given; "Challenge" section can be assigned or omitted based on level of students or time frame. In this lesson, both Part 2 (Next Steps) and Part 3 (Challenge) are essay exercises. You may want your students to do only one essay.

Small Group: Students can collaborate on a description or work in groups to explore different colors.

Whole class: Teachers can use a "color of the week" and explore the meanings in depth. This can focus students on understanding color terms as metaphors for emotional and intellectual states as well as ways of categorizing people, which helps them appreciate diversity and understand cultural perceptions.

ESL/LEP: Lesson as given is appropriate, though categorizing meanings may be beyond intermediate students' abilities.

Educational Standards

Level III, grades 6-8

Writing:

General skills and strategies of the writing process (S. 1), including drafting and revising (S. 1.2), evaluation of own and other?s writing (S. 1.4), using content, style, and structure appropriate to specific audiences (S. 1.5) and writing a persuasive composition that conveys a judgment, provides context, is aimed towards a specific audience, and supplies evidence or support (S. 1.10).

Use of the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing (S. 2), and use of descriptive and figurative language, including thesaurus use for effective word choice (S. 2.1)

Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process (S. 5), including using a variety of strategies to extend vocabulary, improve understanding of definitions, and compare and verify words meanings, shades of meaning, and word differences in context (S. 5.3)

Reading:

Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts (S. 6) and the use of language to convey mood, image, and meaning (S. 6.7)

Notes:

Note 1: The standards used in these lessons follow the McREL guidelines, concentrating on grades 6-8, primarily in the Language Arts (writing, reading, listening, and speaking). Abbreviated Standards are listed here.

Note 2: The ESL variations given are most suitable for intermediate and advanced learners.