ODU-DCOE Core Instructional Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Overview
Date: October 2008
Lesson Title: Color Theory/Tree Painting
Lesson Author: Angela Keesee
Grade Level: 5
Subject Area: Art
Time Allotted for Lesson:
This lesson was part of a unit that took place over a period of six
weeks. Each class period was 55 minutes.
Short Description of Lesson
In this lesson the students will first learn about color theory. This is part of a rigorous
lesson based on the Virginia Standards of Learning. The students will discuss primary,
secondary, and tertiary colors. The students will be given a blank color wheel. The
students will use the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) of paint to mix secondary
colors, (orange, green, and violet) and then use primary and secondary to mix tertiary
colors (red-orange, yellow-orange, blue-green, yellow-green, blue-violet, and red-violet).
The students will also learn about complimentary colors. The students will learn how to
make tints and shades. Then the students will begin painting a background/landscape for
their tree pictures. The landscape may be abstract or realistic. The landscape may be a
beach, mountains, etc. Once the students have painted their background and it is
completely dry the students will paint their trees. Their trees may also be abstract or
realistic.
Lesson Plan Standards
Art SOL
5.2 Will use primary colors and black and white to mix a variety of hues, tints, and
shades to create a work of art.
5.3 Will use elements of art-line, shape, form, color, value, texture and space-to
express ideas, images, and emotion.
5.5 Will use principles of design, including proportions, rhythm, balance, emphasis,
variety, contrast and unity, to express ideas and create images.
Instructional Objectives
The students will understand the color wheel and be able to mix colors successfully
The students will mix and use paint successfully. The students will understand and use
elements and principles of design to create a work of art.
Enduring Understanding
The big idea of this lesson is nature. The concept is understanding color theory. It is
important that students learn about nature, because many artists are inspired by nature.
Essential Questions
As an artist, why do you think it is important to understand the color wheel? How might
the color wheel help you? How can color communicate meaning is nature?
Lesson Set
The students will fill out a KWL chart on what they KNOW about the color wheel. The
students will fill out what they WANT to know about the color wheel. The students will
fill out what they LEARNED about the color wheel.
Rationale
This lesson is related to real life because there are colors all around us. This will help the
students understand color theory and know how colors are made. This lesson is also
related to real life because there is nature and trees all around us. They will look at the
structures of trees and respect the surrounding nature.
Techniques and Activities
Day 1
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
Day 2
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
6.)
Day 3
1.)
2.)
3.)
4.)
5.)
The students will take a pre-assessment on color theory.
The students will fill out a K and W portion of a KWL chart about color theory.
The teacher will discuss color theory with the students.
The teacher will demonstrate how to mix secondary and tertiary colors.
The students will mix primary colors to create secondary colors
The students will mix primary and secondary colors to create tertiary colors
The teacher will use open ended questioning to reiterate color theory.
The teacher will demonstrate how to mix tints and shades.
The students will practice mixing tints and shades.
The student will look at pictures of trees and landscapes for ideas.
The students will begin drawing their backgrounds
The students will paint their backgrounds.
The students will take a post-assessment on color theory.
The students will fill out the L portion of their KWL chart.
The teacher will use open ended questions to reiterate color theory.
The students will begin drawing their trees.
The students will paint their trees.
Lesson Closure
The teacher will check for understanding on what the students learned. The teacher will
ask open ended questions about the color wheel. The teacher will ask the students what
the primary, secondary and tertiary colors are. The teacher will ask the students how to
make the secondary colors and the tertiary colors. The teacher will ask about
complimentary colors, and what happens if we mix them together. The teacher will ask
about mixing tints and shades. The students will raise their hands and answer the
questions.
Assessment/Evaluation
The students will be given a pre-assessment before the lesson is taught to see what their
knowledge of color theory is. After the students take the pre-assessment I will grade
them and know what I need to reiterate or re-teach. Then the students will take the postassessment. I will grade the students to see if their knowledge and understand has
changed. The pre/post assessment will be a multiple choice test with 20 questions about
color theory. I will monitor student progress through their artwork.
Student Product
Day 1: The students will paint a color wheel. The color wheel will guide the students
understanding of color theory, how to mix primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. This
will also help them create great paintings and works of art.
Day 2: The students will begin painting their backgrounds. This will help them
successfully paint a tree in the next class period.
Day 3: The students will paint a tree on top of their backgrounds. Their painting will be
abstract or realistic. Exploring these techniques will help the students become better
artists.
Supplemental Activities: Extension and Remediation
Extension: Gifted learners or early finishers will be an extension project for them to
work on. They may brainstorm different ideas on how to make a new color wheel. Still
using the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors the student/s will have to come up with
a new design for the color wheel. They must have at least three ideas for a rough draft,
then they can begin drawing and painting it.
Remediation: If there is a student that needs the lesson to be re-taught in a different way
for them to better understand I would use different strategies so that they would better
understand and know the expectations for the lesson. I would go to the student/s one on
one and re-teach the lesson in a way that they would comprehend.
Adaptations for Special Diverse Learners
For students with diverse learning needs I will adjust the lesson as needed. I will use
various differentiation strategies to assess my students accordingly. If a gifted learner has
finished early I will certainly assign them a new project to begin working on, or have an
extension of the project they have already finished.
Differentiated Instruction
X
X
Flexible grouping
Open-ended activities
Exploration by interests
Negotiated criteria
Anchoring/Extension activities
Independent
Tiered activities/products
Journal prompts
Multiple levels of questions
Scaffolding
Choice: Learner profile, Readiness, Interest
Materials and Additional Resources
Pre assessment/Post assessment
Tempera paint (red, yellow, blue, black, white, and brown)
Paint brushes
Mixing trays
Water cans
Various pictures of real trees
Various abstract and realistic tree paintings
Color wheel worksheet
Color wheel posted in classroom
Teacher example of tree painting
8x10 white heavy drawing paper
10x12 green construction paper
12x18 scrap paper
Pencils/erasers
Web and Attachment Resources
KWL Chart, Color Wheel worksheet (www.alifetimeofcolor.com/main.taf?p=2,1,1,17),
Pre/Post Assessment
Impact on Student Learning Rubric
Color Theory and Tree Painting
Beginning
Developing
Accomplished
1
2
3
To
recognize
and
understand
color theory
To be able
to mix
colors
properly
Drawing/
Painting a
tree
Abstract/
Realistic
Applying
paint to
paper
Exemplary
4
To be able to
recognize primary
colors
To be able to
recognize primary
and secondary
colors
To be able to
recognize all the colors
on the color wheel,
primary, secondary,
and tertiary
To be able to
recognize and
understand
color theory
including tints,
shades, and hue
To be able to produce
secondary colors by
mixing primary colors
To be able to
produce secondary
colors by mixing
primary colors and
tertiary colors by
mixing primary and
secondary colors
To be able to produce
secondary colors by
mixing primary colors
and tertiary colors by
mixing primary and
secondary colors
and tints and shades of
some of the colors
To be able to
mix secondary,
tertiary colors
and make tints
and shades
successfully
To produce something
with characteristics of
a tree.
To produce a picture
that strongly
resembles a tree
To produce a picture
resembling a tree that
uses the elements of art
To produce a
tree that uses
the elements
and principles
of art
To understand the
meaning of an abstract
work of art
To understand the
meaning of an
abstract and realistic
work of art
To understand and
produce an abstract
work of art
To understand
and produce an
realistic work of
art
To understand
different types of brush
strokes
To be able to
apply different
types of brush
strokes with the
correct amount
of paint to the
paper to the
paper
To understand how to
apply the correct
amount of paint to the
paper with the paint
brush
To be able to apply
the correct amount
of paint to the paper
with the paint brush
S
c
o
r
e
Name_____________________
Date______________________
KWL Chart
Know
Want to know
Learn
What do you KNOW about
the color wheel and theory?
What do WANT to know
about the color wheel and
theory?
What have you LEARNED
about the color wheel and
theory?
Post/Pre Assessment
Name_____________
Date______________
Color Theory Test
1.) Name the primary colors
A. black, white, brown
B. orange, pink, yellow
C. red, blue, yellow
D. yellow, blue, green
2.) Name the secondary colors
A. orange, green, pink
B. orange, green, violet
C. violet, pink, yellow
D. red, orange, green
3.) What two Primary colors mixed together makes green?
A. orange and blue
B. red and green
C. yellow and blue
4.) What two Primary colors mixed together makes violet?
A. red and blue
B. orange and blue
C. pink and blue
5.) What two Primary colors mixed together makes orange?
A. red and blue
B. red and yellow
C. red and green
6.) What are three cool colors?
A. blue, green, violet
B. blue, yellow, green
C. orange, yellow, red
7.) What are three warm colors?
A. red, yellow, blue
B. red, yellow, orange
C. green, blue, orange
8.) What is a hue?
A. the actual “pure” color
B. the color made darker
C. the color made lighter
9.) How do you make a tint?
A. adding black to another color
B. adding white to another color
C. adding green to another color
10.) How do you make a shade?
A. adding yellow to another color
B. adding white to another color
C. adding black to another color
11.) What tint do you get if red and white are mixed together?
A. blue
B. pink
C. yellow
12.) What tint do you get if orange and white are mixed together?
A. peach
B. orange
C. red
13.) What shade do you get if blue and black are mixed together?
A. navy
B. violet
C. grey
14.) What shade to you get if red and black are mixed together?
A. maroon
B. pink
C. orange
15.) What color do you get if black and white are mixed together?
A. blue
B. brown
C. gray
16.) What does monochromatic mean?
A. all the tints and shades of one color
B. all the shades of one color
C. all the tints of one color
17.) What are the complimentary colors?
A. red and green
B. violet and yellow
C. blue and orange
D. all of the above
18.) How do you make brown?
A. mix all three primary colors together
B. mix complimentary colors together
C. all the above
19.) Which of the following is a tertiary color?
A. blue-green
B. orange-blue
C. red-yellow
20.) Which of the following is not a tertiary color?
A. orange-blue
B. yellow-orange
C. blue-violet
Name___________
Date____________
The Color Wheel
www.alifetimeofcolor.com/main.taf?p=2,1,1,17
Demographics
During this lesson I taught 18 students, eight girls and ten boys. Nine of the students
were Caucasian, four girls, and five boys. Four of the students were African American,
two boys and two girls. One of the girls was Native American/Caucasian. Three of the
students were Hispanic, one girl and two boys. One Caucasian girl had a special learning
need. One student scored a 90. One student scored an 80. Three students scored a 65.
Nine students scored a 60 on the pre-test. One student scored a 55. Three students
scored a 50. The class mean was a 54.4. The demographics for the post-test are the same
except there was one more Caucasian boy that did not take the pre-test, but did take the
post-test. One student scored a 100 on the post-test. Four students scored an 85. Two
students scored an 80. Three students scored a 75. One student scored a 70. Three
students scored a 65. One student scored a 60. One student scored a 55. Three students
scored a 45. The mean for the post-test scores is 70.5