Lesson Plan for 1st Grade - Art - Color Theory (primary and secondary colors)

### Lesson Plan: Color Theory (Primary and Secondary Colors) - 1st Grade #### Lesson Overview: - **Grade Level:** 1st Grade - **Subject:** Art - **Duration:** 45 minutes - **Objective:** Students will learn about primary and secondary colors. They will identify and mix primary colors to create secondary colors and understand how these colors interact. #### Materials Needed: - Color wheel chart - Paints (red, blue, yellow) - Paint brushes - Mixing palettes - Water cups for rinsing brushes - Paper towels - White drawing paper - Pencils - Smocks or old shirts to protect clothing #### Standards: - Students will demonstrate an understanding of primary and secondary colors (NAEA Standard 1). - Students will mix colors to create secondary colors, enhancing their knowledge of color relationships and visual arts skills (NAEA Standard 2). #### Vocabulary: - **Primary Colors:** Red, Blue, Yellow - **Secondary Colors:** Orange, Green, Purple - **Color Wheel:** A chart that shows the relationships between colors. #### Lesson Procedure: 1. **Introduction (10 minutes):** - **Greeting and Recap:** Welcome students to art class and briefly recap previous lessons. - **Objective Overview:** Explain that today they will learn about colors, specifically primary and secondary colors. - **Color Wheel Explanation:** Show the color wheel and explain what primary colors are (red, blue, yellow) and how they can be mixed to create secondary colors (orange, green, purple). 2. **Activity 1: Identifying Primary Colors (5 minutes):** - **Discussion:** Ask students to point out primary colors they see in the classroom. - **Interactive Chart:** Use a poster-sized color wheel and let students place colored stickers of red, blue, and yellow in the correct positions. 3. **Activity 2: Mixing Primary Colors to Make Secondary Colors (15 minutes):** - **Demonstration:** Show how to mix two primary colors on a palette to create a secondary color (e.g., red + yellow = orange). - **Hands-On Mixing:** Distribute white drawing paper, brushes, and paints to students. Guide them to mix paints on palettes to create secondary colors. - **Painting Exercise:** Have students paint areas on their paper with the secondary colors they have created. Encourage them to label each section. 4. **Activity 3: Color Wheel Craft (10 minutes):** - **Handout Craft:** Provide each student with a blank color wheel handout. Using the mixed paints, students will fill in their color wheels correctly. - **Review:** Walk around, provide assistance as needed, and ensure students are placing the secondary colors in the right sections between the primary colors on the wheel. 5. **Closure (5 minutes):** - **Group Reflection:** Gather students and discuss what they learned about mixing colors. - **Showcase Work:** Allow students to share their paintings and color wheels with the class. - **Clean-Up:** Instruct students to help clean up their workstations, wash their brushes, and tidy up the art supplies. 6. **Assessment:** - **Observation:** Monitor student participation and engagement during mixing activities. - **Color Wheel Completion:** Review each student’s color wheel to ensure they correctly identified and placed primary and secondary colors. - **Painting Exercise:** Evaluate students’ ability to mix and identify secondary colors based on their artwork. #### Additional Notes: - **Differentiation:** Provide additional assistance to students who may struggle with fine motor skills through one-on-one help or simpler tasks. - **Extension:** For advanced learners, include a brief discussion on tertiary colors (colors created by mixing a primary and a secondary color). #### Reflection: - **Teacher’s Reflection:** After the lesson, take notes on what worked well and what could be improved. Consider student feedback and adjust future lessons accordingly.