1st Grade: Elements of Art: Color/Lesson Organizer

Lessons taken from What Your First Grader Needs to Know and the Core Knowledge Teacher Handbook
The Big Idea: Of the generally recognized elements of art – color, line, shape, form, space, light (value), and texture – children will study
color, line, shape, and texture.

ELEMENTS OF ART Vocabulary

Form: any three dimensional object
Geometric shape: precise and sharply defined shape such as a triangle, square, or circle
Organic shape: shape that is irregular in outline, often found in nature
Piñata: decorated paper-mache vessel of Mexican origin filled with candies and small gifts
Primary color: color that cannot be made by mixing other colors together (red, yellow, blue)
Secondary color: the color (orange, green, purple) that results from mixing two primary colors
Shape: a two dimensional enclosed area
Texture: an artwork’s real or implied surface quality, such as rough , smooth

Domain Vocabulary: palette, pigment, impression, dye, two-dimensional

What Students Need to Learn:

1. Know primary and secondary colors and observe the use of color in Tulips in Holland, Whistler’s Mother, La Piñata.

At a Glance The most important ideas for students are:

1. Primary colors are blue, yellow, and red.
2. Secondary colors result when two primary colors are mixed together.

Thinking
# Method Objectives Higher Order Questioning Materials
Framework
Demonstration Students will be introduced to the color order of the Q. Do you have a favorite Color wheel Knowledge,
Class rainbow, primary colors, secondary colors, and the color? Patterns
Discussion, color wheel. Mouse Modeling
Activity Q. How are rainbows made? Paint book Creativity
Lesson Ideas:
1. Be shown a how a prism works A. Light shines through a Prism, flash
2. Read aloud Mouse Paint tiny droplets of rain and the light, paper,
3. Learn Roy G Biv, Primary and Secondary rain droplet acts as a prism brushes
Colors: and breaks up a ray of light. Primary
4. Blend two primary colors to make a secondary A ray of light is made up of color paint
color. Then use only primary color paints to all the colors of the rainbow
create a painting making secondary colors. – like a strand of yarn is
made up of several strands
all twisted together
Demonstration Students will make a color wheel using only Q. What three colors are the Picture from Knowledge
Class primary colors. Primary colors? class before, Modeling
Discussion, A. Red, Yellow, Blue sharpie Patterns
Activity Lesson Ideas: Creativity
1. Be given a color wheel template and have only Q. What does secondary
primary colors in tempera paint. mean? Look at the root word
2. First fill in the primary colors of Red, Yellow, second.
and Blue.
Point out the pie slice space between the primary Q. What two primary colors
colors. Secondary colors result from mixing two are needed to make orange,
primary colors. or green, or purple?
3. Mix two primary colors to make a secondary
color to complete the color wheel

Demonstration Students will be introduced to Monet’s (Show students a real or silk Reproductio Knowledge
Class Impressionistic painting, Tulips in Holland and tulip) n of Modeling
Discussion, make their own impressionistic painting. Q. How does this compare Monet’s Patterns
Activity with Monet’s impression of Tulips in Creativity
Monet loved light and color. He liked to go outside and tulips? Holland
set up his easel to paint in the bright sunlight.
Q. How did the artist make Sponges,
Lesson Ideas: you see the images without paper plate
 1. Do Art History and Q’s any defined lines? How is it with only
2. Make an impressionistic landscape painting not just a blob of color, but a primary
using only primary colors and white with landscape or an object? colors of
sponges. A. Monet used a different red, yellow,
3. Paint a simple object in the room without any color or made it darker or blue and
continuous lines or swooshes; only daubing lighter than the color around white
paint in spots with sponges. This will force it.
them to paint in the style of the impressionists.
Demonstration Students will be introduced to Diego Rivera’s La Q. Does color affect a Crayons, Knowledge
Class Piñata feeling? paper, Modeling
Discussion, Q. Think of colors that Patterns
Activity Lesson Ideas: would go with a feeling of Creativity
1. Do Art History and Q’s peace and calm, happiness,
Reddish colors express a celebration and joyfulness sadness, excitement, being
Students can draw any sort of celebration using more afraid, etc. What are they?
red than any other color
2. Compare this painting with their actions and
feelings while breaking a piñata.
3. (Optional as time allows) Can think of an event
that gave them a feeling of peace and calm,
happiness, sadness, excitement, being afraid.
Draw a picture of it and use color to express
that feeling.
Demonstration Students will make two pictures; one using only Q. Which picture do you Colored Knowledge
Class primary colors and a second picture using only prefer? Why? pencils or Modeling
Discussion, secondary colors. crayons Patterns
Activity sorted in Creativity
Lesson Ideas: primary
1. Make a picture using only primary colors. colors set
2. Make a picture using only secondary colors. and a set of
3. Discuss which of the pictures they prefer. secondary
4. Discuss using colors together and separately. colors.

Demonstration Students will be introduced Whistler’s Mother Q. How would you describe Gray paper, Knowledge
Class painting. the expression on her face? black and Modeling
Discussion, Whistler called this painting Arrangement in Gray and white paint, Patterns
Activity Black. Q. what does Mono mean? paintbrush Creativity
A. One or black and
Lesson Ideas: Q. What does Chroma mean white
1. Do the Art History and Q’s in Latin? crayons, or
2. (Option #1) Students will create a picture of A. Color pastels on
their mother using gray paper and black and Q. What does gray paper
white paint. They can title it Connor’s Mother, monochromatic mean? In
etc. Latin
3. (Option #2) Draw two pictures of the same A. Monochromatic
object such as a house, or a bird, car, or person.
Color one with lots of bright colors, like red, Q. (Option #2) Which picture
yellow and orange. Color the second picture do you like better?
with dark colors, like brown, dark gray, and
dark green.
Questions that each student should be able to
answer by the end of this section:
1. What are the four elements of art we have
studied this year?
A. Line, color, shape, and texture
2. What are the three Primary Colors?
A. Red, Yellow, and Blue
3. How do you make secondary colors?
A. By mixing primary colors
4. What colors do you get when you mix red and
yellow? Red and blue? Yellow and blue?
A. Orange, Purple, Green
5. Can you tell the colors in Rainbow order/
A. ROY G BIV