PAINTING UNIT PLAN

By Karen Hurst
February 29, 2000
Diagnosis/Rational/Philosophy
This unit is designed for students in
Grade 10. This unit is appropriate for this
age level in that, at this stage, students are
very concerned with developing their own
personal identity. The unit will allow the
students to express themselves and their
emotions first of all in the process of
creating a poem and then in creating a peep
box and painting. Throughout the unit they
will be given the freedom to make many of
their own decisions in planning their project,
which is something that students at this
stage in their lives have the desire and
confidence to do. This also ties into the fact
that Grade 10 students are beginning to
develop the ability to problem solve and
tackle design problems. They understand
that there may be several solutions to every
problem and they are also capable of
long-term planning. This unit challenges
them to use this ability to persevere through
a series of steps on different projects to
reach a stated goal. Upon reaching these
goals these students also appreciate sharing
their work with others and receiving
admiration and critique.
I feel that, due to the fact that these
Grade 10 students are looking for ways to
express themselves, I should introduce them
to a variety of mediums and methods with
which they could do so. They are
encouraged to work with three-dimensional,
as well as two-dimensional design problems,
as well as language. This unit integrates their
English poetry class with art showing them
that there are connections between different

subjects, and I hope that making these

connections will help them bring all the
things they learn in and outside of school
into their art. The unit also discusses colour
theory, an important topic in art, but
extends this knowledge to include how
colour can represent emotion. This will also
make them aware of how their environments
may affect them and the decisions they
make. Ultimately, this unit will allow the
students to experience different mediums,
while simultaneously allowing them to
develop their own personal style and
expression.
This unit may also be adjusted for
other grade levels. For younger students,
someone else's poem, or perhaps even one
descriptive word, could be used as a
motivator for this unit. Students, who may
not yet feel comfortable making decisions all
on their own, may work as pairs on this
project and perhaps the design of the box
could be limited to simple geometric shapes
or found objects. Also, younger students
may use paint that is easier to work with
and clean up, such as tempera paints and
water. The benefit of this unit is that it is
flexible and can be altered for a particular
class. Keeping the students' abilities and
interests in mind, this unit will, hopefully,
keep them interested and motivated to create
artworks that they can identify with and be
proud of.
CONCEPTUAL MAP
Psychomotor
writing poetry
sketching a design
cutting out forms from paper
constructing a space within a shoe box
using different materials for construction

acrylic painting techniques

mixing different values of one colour
taking care of paint brushes
clean-up procedures
creating a value scale on paper of 10
values
shining coloured light through box
painting from memory
painting while referring to
three-dimensional object
using acrylic wash to block in colours
sketching the composition for a painting
the painting process

Cognitive
understand how language can evoke
emotion
understand how language can evoke
images of colours and form for us
understand how colour and form can
affect us emotionally
understand how our environment affects
us
understand how advertisements and
product packaging affect us
psychologically
interpret their emotional response to
their poem in a three-dimensional space
understand why colour and form choices
were made
identify the concept of monochromatic
colour schemes
encounter art that uses monochromatic
colour schemes
understand the concept of warm and
cool colours
understand how colour can vary in value
understand the process of interpreting a
three-dimensional space into two
dimensions
understand the advantages and
disadvantages of either choosing to paint
from

memory or to constantly refer to a

model
understand the concept of successful
composition

Affective
gain confidence to express emotions
through language
develop own personal style
feel connection between language and
form and colour
feel connection between form, colour and
emotion
appreciate the effects of the environment
around us
appreciate the properties and
characteristics of different materials
gain confidence in planning designs
gain confidence in constructing a
three-dimensional space
willing to participate in discussion
appreciate efforts of other classmates
ability to make judgements about art
gain confidence to accept constructive
criticism
perceive themselves as having the
knowledge to make good choices
appreciate the work of other artists
appreciate the skill required to evoke
emotion through a monochromatic
painting
appreciate the skill to create different
values of one colour
appreciate the skill of creating an acrylic
painting
perceive themselves as having the ability
to express themselves and emotions
through an acrylic painting
gain an appreciation and interest in
creating art
overcome fear of experimentation with a
new medium

ABBREVIATED LESSON OVERVIEW

Motivational Activity

LESSON 3

Students will write a poem in their English

class that evokes emotion for them. The
assignment will ask them to use descriptive
words that evoke images for them.

This lesson will take the form of an informal

critique where the students will share their
box designs with each other. I will ask that
they discuss the forms and colours that they
used and will have them explain the reasons
for these choices. (1 class)

LESSON 1
This unit will be introduced by discussing
with the students how colour and forms can
represent
emotion
and
affect
us
psychologically. We will begin by talking
about colour in their own lives such as
colour in rooms and their surrounding
environment as well as in advertisements
and consumer products. Next I will show
slides of artists who use colour to evoke
emotion. Finally I will have the students
read their poems to themselves and think
about the forms and colours that come to
mind. The students will be required to write
down these thoughts and I will explain that
they will be creating a space within a
shoebox that depicts these thoughts. For the
remainder of the class the students will be
encouraged to sketch their design ideas. (1
class)
LESSON 2
This lesson will be introduced by discussing
all the materials that the students will have
access to for building their box design and I
will give them some basic tips to make the
construction easier. The students will be
given the duration of the class to work on
the design and construction of their boxes. I
will circulate while they work, reminding
them of the discussion we had last class. (1
class)

LESSON 4
This lesson will introduce the students to
the concept of a monochromatic painting as
well as basic acrylic painting techniques. I
will begin the lesson by showing slides of
some paintings that use a monochromatic
colour scheme. Then I will give a brief
demonstration of how to mix acrylic colours
and following this the students will be
instructed to practice mixing 10 different
values of one colour on a strip of paper. (1
class)
LESSON 5
This lesson will mark the beginning of the
final assignment for this unit. I will give
directions as to how the students will light
up their box design through their chosen
coloured gel. I will explain that they will be
painting what they see in their boxes using
acrylic paint on canvas board. To emphasize
the importance of individual decision
making, students will be given the option to
either look once into the box and paint from
memory, or to continually refer to the box
during the painting process. (3 classes)

LESSON 6
This lesson will be the final culmination of
this unit and will take the form of another
critique. This time, the students will share
their paintings and will be encouraged to
discuss their processes of working. We will
discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
choosing to work from memory or choosing
to refer to the box continually. Finally, we
will discuss what emotions are evoked by
the paintings and address whether these
emotions changed or not since the beginning
of this unit, when they responded to their
poems. (1 class)
LESSON I
Objectives:
The students will learn how colour and
form can be used to represent emotion.

will also be given sketch paper and will need

pencils to jot down their ideas for the design
of their box.
Motivation
I will motivate the students by relating the
effects of colour and form on their own
lives. They will be given the opportunity to
discuss how they think colours in their own
environments affect them psychologically.
Then I will describe how some interior
designers choose specific colours for rooms
based on their emotional effect on people
(e.g. restaurants are often decorated with
red, as it influences people to eat more). I
will also show examples of how colour and
form are used in advertisements and product
packaging to influence us to buy things. I
will allow students to give their own
examples as well.
Procedure

The students will describe how colour in

their environments and daily lives affects
them emotionally.
The students will encounter the work of
artists who use colour to evoke emotion.

1. Conduct discussion with students about

the emotional effects of colour and form
in our environment, advertisements, and
product packaging and show concrete
examples of each.

The students will respond with thoughts of

colour and form to a poem they have
written.

2. Show slides of art that utilize colour and

form to evoke emotion (e.g. Van Goch,
Kandinsky, Manet).

Resources/Materials/References
I will utilize slides of sculpture as well as
paintings that use colour and form to evoke
emotion (e.g. Van Gogh, Kandinsky). I will
also bring examples of advertisements from
magazines as well as products that use
colour and form to influence us emotionally
(e.g. tide box, perfume ads, etc). Students

3. Have students read their poems to

themselves and have them record the
colours and forms that come to mind
when reading the poem.
4. Explain to the students that they will be
required to create a space within a shoe
box using the forms that came to mind
while reading their poems. Also explain

that they will need to choose one colour

that came to mind, as it will be used for
the gel through which the box design will
be viewed.
5. Hand out sketch paper.
6. The students will sketch ideas for the
design of their boxes.
7. I will circulate while the students are
working, helping them formulate their
ideas, by asking them questions about
how their poems made them feel.
8. Have students put away their sketches
and poems in their portfolios.
9. Explain to students that they will be
working on the construction their boxes
next class and they will each need to bring
a shoebox from home.
10. Dismiss the class after any questions the
students may have are answered.

Student shows an understanding of how

colour and form can represent and evoke
emotions______
Student shows an awareness of how colour
and form in his/her environment affects
him/her______
Student demonstrates that he/she is able to
follow instructions______
Student stays on task______
Student shows a willingness to experiment
with different styles, techniques and
mediums______
Student accepts justified criticism from the
teacher and peers______
Student acts with consideration and care of
classmates______
Student shows originality and creative
thought processes when planning and
creating his/her art project______

Evaluation
For the duration of this unit, and for this
individual lesson, I will keep an ongoing
checklist of criteria.
The criteria will be as follows and will make
up 20% of the student's overall grade:

The criteria checklist will be based on

observations of the students as well as on
individual teacher/student conferences which
will allow me to question students about
how they think the lessons are going, and
reveal what they are learning from them.
Follow up ideas:

Student participates in class

discussions______
Student is enthusiastic and brings a positive
attitude to art class______

1.
2.
3.

Students will complete their box

designs.
Students will share their boxes with
one another.
Students will paint what they see in
their box.

4.

Paintings will be discussed and

displayed.

LESSON 4
Objectives: The students will learn what a
monochromatic painting is.
The students will encounter artists who
have used monochromatic colour schemes.
The students will learn how to mix acrylic
colours and create different values of one
colour.
The students will create a strip of 10
different values of one colour using acrylic
paint.
Resources/Materials/References
I will utilize slides that show paintings done
with a monochromatic colour scheme (e.g.
Picasso, Edward Munch). Other materials
that I will need for this lesson include acrylic
brushes for each student, water, containers,
palettes for mixing on (old china plates or ice
cream carton lids), acrylic paints in tubes
(red, yellow, blue, black, white), and strips
of paper (10" x 2").
Motivation
For this lesson, I will motivate the students
by giving them an encounter with artists
who have used monochromatic colour
schemes in their work, through a slide show.
I will relate this lesson to the idea of colour
evoking emotion by asking the students how
the paintings in the slides make them feel.
We will also discuss the idea of warm and
cool colours and how the artists have used
different values of one colour.

Procedure:
1.

Define what a monochromatic colour

scheme is.
Show students slides of paintings that
use a monochromatic colour scheme
and discuss the emotions that they
evoke.
2.
Explain that the students will be
required to practice mixing 10
different values of one colour using
acrylic paint in preparation for
preparation for creating their own
monochromatic painting.
3.
I will perform a demonstration on
how to mix different values of one
colour using acrylic paint.

introduce students to what

acrylic paints are and their
properties

discuss how to take care of

brushes

start showing how to mix

values, beginning with white and
gradually adding a colour. The sixth
square on the strip should be the
pure colour and then gradually add
black to complete the value scale.
4.
Hand out 10" x 2" strips of card
stock and have students divide it into 10 1"
sections.
5.
Allow each student to select one
colour of acrylic paint and have them put a
bit of it along with some white and some
black on their mixing palettes.
6.
Hand out brushes and water
containers.
7.
Have students begin to work on
their value scales.
8.
Circulate and help students who
may be having trouble.

9.
Have students put value scales on
drying rack.
10.
Have students clean up.
11.
Explain that, using their new
knowledge of creating different values of one
colour, the students will have the
opportunity to begin a monochromatic
painting of their own next class.
12.
Dismiss the class.
Evaluation
I will continue to use the criteria checklist
outlined in Lesson 1. As well, I will evaluate
the students' value scales according to this
rubric:
The student demonstrates confidence in
handling the medium of acrylic paint
_____/5
The student was able to complete a graduate
value scale successfully _____/5
Where
1 = the value scale and acrylic paint handling
exercise ranks below what was expected and
the student shows no care in fulfilling the
required task.
2 = the value scale and acrylic paint handling
exercise ranks only fairly compared to what
was expected and the student shows little
care in fulfilling the required task.
3 = the value scale and acrylic paint handling
exercise ranks competently or average
compared to what was expected and the
student shows some care in fulfilling the
required task.
4 = the value scale and acrylic paint handling
exercise ranks well above average compared

to what was expected and the student shows

a lot of care in fulfilling the required task.
5 = the value scale and acrylic paint handling
exercise ranks as outstanding compared to
what was expected and the student shows
extreme care in fulfilling the required task.
I will also supplement this mark out of 10
with anecdotal comments that instruct the
student on how they succeeded and on what
they could have done differently.
Follow up ideas
1. Students could discuss the results of their
scales.
2. Students may be required to use a certain
number of values created in their value
scale in their final monochromatic
painting.
LESSON 5
Objectives:
The students will encounter a colourful
environment that evokes emotion.
The students will translate a
three-dimensional space into a
two-dimensional painting.
The students will create a monochromatic
painting.
The students will compare and contrast the
processes of painting from memory or
referring to a model.

Resources/Materials/References
I will need large human sized geometric
shaped blocks painted white and 3 or 4
lights covered with blue gels for my
motivational activity.
I will also need small coloured gels and
flashlights so the students can fight up their
peep boxes.
I will also need canvas boards, acrylic
paints, mixing palettes, brushes, and water
containers for this lesson.
Motivation
When the students first come to class at the
beginning of this lesson, they will walk into
a monochromatic space filled with geometric
shapes and lit up with blue lights. This will
get the students thinking about their own
box designs on a larger scale. We will
discuss, as a group, how the students felt
when they walked into the space and how
they were affected emotionally.
Procedure
1.
Have
students
walk
into
monochromatic space.
2.
Discuss the students' feelings as they
entered the space.
3.
Have students help me move the
geometric shapes out of the classroom and
rearrange the
tables and chairs.
4.
Explain how students will be
required to create a painting using acrylic
paint on canvas
The
painting
will
be
monochromatic and will utilize at
least 5 different values of one
colour.

The painting will be an

interpretation of what the students
viewed in their boxes when they
shone a flashlight through a coloured
gel into it.
The students will be given the
option to look once at the box
design and paint from memory or to
constantly refer to it during the
process of painting.
The
students
will
be
encouraged to sketch lightly with
pencil what they are going to paint
directly on the canvas board.
I will instruct the students to
begin their paintings by blocking in
the values with a light wash first
before adding thicker layers of
paint.
5.
Allow students to begin sketching
and painting on the canvas boards.
6.
Circulate and make sure everyone is
on the right track and assist students with
painting techniques.
7.
Have students clean up.
8.
Discuss what is happening so far
with the paintings and allow students to ask
any questions they might have.
9.
Explain to students that they will
have another two classes to work on their
paintings.
10.
Dismiss class.
Evaluation
I will continue to use the criteria checklist
outlined in Lesson 1. As well, I will evaluate
the students' final paintings according toboard
this
rubric:
Student demonstrates skill in handling art
media _____/5

Student has used at least 5 different values

of the one colour they chose _____/5
Student has clearly understood the
instructions for this project by creating a
monochromatic
painting
Student has utilized a successful
composition for his/her painting _____/5
Student has produced a painting which is of
a quality equal to his/her ability _____/5
Student shows originality in his/her
interpretation of the box design and in the
handling of the
media -15
Where:

I = not really
2 = somewhat
3 = average
4 = good
5 = extremely well

As well I will write anecdotal comments.