BY GRADE: K-2 3-5 6-8 9-12 BY MEDIUM: Drawing Mixed Media Painting Photography Sculpture BY RELATED SUBJECT: English - Language Arts History - Social Science Mathematics Science Visual & Performing Arts --------------- Lesson Plan Title A-Z Index Lesson Plan Image Bank	Exploring Color Combinations Related Subjects: Visual & Performing Arts, English-Language Arts Grades: K-2 Medium: Painting, Drawing Author: SDMA Education Department Class time required: One 40-minute class session read/post blog feedback In this one-session lesson, students will mix secondary colors from primary colors and will describe the process in writing. back to top • Oil pastels, chalk pastels, colored pencils, crayons, or tempura paint • Blank color wheel (PDF 1.9mb) • Poster board or thick construction paper • Glossary terms: primary colors, secondary colors • Images Online Materials Download an editable Lesson Plan File Type: RTF (Choose Save-As when dialogue box appears)   Size: 108kb     Images     Red Blue Green Ellsworth Kelly   Untitled Janet Sobel   Improvisation Konrad Cramer Explore Art page (kid-friendly)                     Isometric Pyramid Sol LeWitt                         back to top • Print a copy of the Blank Color Wheel (PDF 1.9mb). Use this to trace an outline of the color wheel, broken into 6 equal parts, onto poster board or construction paper for each student. • Set out the appropriate colors (red, yellow, blue) of your chosen medium. back to top 1. Read the students a story about color (see the Bibliography for suggestions). 2. Introduce the objective of lesson: • Today we are going to create our own color wheels by mixing the primary colors to create secondary colors. • Can anybody tell me what the colors of the rainbow are? • Does anybody know what the primary colors are? (Red, yellow, blue) • Does anybody know what the secondary colors are? (Orange, green, violet) 3. Look at images of artwork and have the students identify the primary and secondary colors in the artwork. 4. Hand out the poster board, with the drawn blank color wheel, and art materials. 5. Have students put the primary colors on their wheels in alternating sections. 6. Then, using the primary colors, students will mix them together to create the secondary colors (red and yellow; yellow and blue; blue and red.) 7. Discuss the secondary colors created (red + yellow = orange; yellow + blue = green; blue + red = violet.) 8. The students will then describe how to create secondary colors in a written math equation (red + yellow = orange; yellow + blue = green; blue + red = violet) and complete a journal entry describing their experiences with mixing colors. Extensions Visual Arts: Students can create a piece of artwork, based on a theme in class, using primary and secondary colors. back to top There are no teaching tips for this lesson plan. back to top CA Content Standards Kindergarten Visual Arts: 1.3 Identify the elements of art (line, color, shape/form, texture, value, space) in the environment and in works of art, emphasizing line, color, and shape/form. 3.3 Look at and discuss works of art from a variety of times and places. 4.2 Describe what is seen (including both literal and expressive content) in selected works of art. First Grade Visual Arts: 1.3 Identify the elements of art in objects in nature, in the environment, and in works of art, emphasizing line, color, shape/form, and texture. 2.2 Mix secondary colors from primary colors and describe the process. 3.2 Identify and describe various subject matter in art (e.g., landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still life). Second Grade Visual Arts: 1.2 Perceive and discuss differences in mood created by warm and cool colors. 1.3 Identify the elements of art in objects in nature, the environment, and works of art, emphasizing line, color, shape/form, texture, and space. 2.2 Demonstrate beginning skill in the use of art media, such as oil pastels, watercolors, and tempera. 4.4 Use appropriate vocabulary of art to describe the successful use of an element of art in a work of art. Kindergarten English-Language Arts: 1.1 Use letters and phonetically spelled words to write about experiences, stories, people, objects, or events. First Grade English-Language Arts: 2.1 Write brief narratives (e.g., fictional, autobiographical) describing an experience. Second Grade English-Language Arts: 2.1 Write brief narratives based on their experiences. back to top Teachers Axson, Rickard H. The Prints of Ellsworth Kelly: a catalogue raisonné, 1949-1985. New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the American Federation of Arts, 1987. Garrels, Gary. Sol LeWitt: a retrospective. San Francisco: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000. Lidzey, John. Color Mixing for Artists: Minimum Color for Maximum Effect, Using Watercolors, Acrylics, and Oils. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's, 2002. Elements of Art Learn about the elements of art by looking at famous pieces of artwork. This Web site provides background information on the piece of artwork and descriptions of how each piece is an example of an art element (line, color, texture, shape, form, space, and value). It also includes interactive and printable activities for students. Foundations in Art, University of Delaware An introduction to the elements of art that includes images of artwork and concise explanations. Art Basics, San Diego State University The seven formal elements of art are described on this Web site. A Guide to Building Visual Arts Lessons, the J. Paul Getty Museum This comprehensive Web site includes definitions and examples of art elements, as well as a grade-by-grade guide to creating lessons for the classroom. It also includes several CA-standards aligned lesson plans for each grade level that focus on the elements of art. Introduction to Color Theory Online resources, such as a Power Point presentation about color theory, examples of student and famous artists’ artwork, and educational resources. Sanford and a Lifetime of Color: Study Art Easy-to-understand explanation of color theory with interactive activities that demonstrate color mixing and color theory. Students Baxter, Nicola. Amazing Colors. Chicago, IL: Children’s Press, 1996. Ehlert, Lois. Color Zoo. New York: HarperFestival, 1997. Ehlert, Lois. Planting a Rainbow. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Inc., 2003. Richardson, Joy. Using Color in Art. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens, 2000. Westray, Kathleen. A Color Sampler. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1993. The Artist’s Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles Students can “Explore the Toolkit” to learn about and interact with the elements of art and create their own artwork. back to top	Red Blue Green Ellsworth Kelly   You may need some free programs to open these lesson plans. Download Adobe Acrobat to open worksheet "PDF" files. Portions of this site use Flash. Click here to get it. What's an RTF? RTF is an acronym for "rich text format". You can download and open RTF documents in your word processing program and edit them as you need.
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