Color Wheel Unit Plan

(4th Grade) Rationale/Learning Goal: Students need to understand the elements and principles of design as a foundation for making art, and color is one of the seven elements of design. Students need to understand color theory in order to know how to create balance, gradation, repetition, contrast, unity, harmony, and dominance (the principles of design). The first goal of this unit is for students to learn the basic concepts and vocabulary of color theory: primary colors, secondary colors, tertiary colors, analogous colors, complementary colors, tint, shade, and so on. The other goal of the unit if for students to be able to analyze artwork using the learned vocabulary.

Vermont Grade Expectations: Visual Arts A3-4:12 Students show understanding of visual arts CONCEPTS and VOCABULARY by identifying elements of design (color).

A3-4:13 Students describe art using discipline specific vocabulary.

A3-4:20 Students develop effective, personal work habits by demonstrating willingness to take part in the activity and see it to completion, using materials and work space safely, and making good use of class time.

A3-4:21 Students demonstrate appropriate interactions by participating in individual and/or group work willingly and appropriately and responding constructively as members of an audience/group.

Technology Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Performance Indicator-A: a. apply existing knowledge to generate ideas product, or processes Students use digital representations of existing knowledge to extend their understanding and create new ideas, products, or processes. Performance Indicator-B: b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression Students utilize a variety of digital tools to create original works for use in an individual or group product.

Performance Indicator - C: c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues Students use and manipulate variables in digital simulations, models, or graphic representations to explore and explain ideas or concepts.

Timeframe and Learning Activities: Because visual art classes are generally around 40 minutes long, and oftentimes once a week, at rural Vermont elementary schools, this unit will extend over a three week period (or three 40 minute classes).

Processes: o Day 1: The first class will involve learning or reviewing basic color mixing (like primary and secondary colors). Students will take an online formative assessment, at the beginning and at the end of the unit, on a classroom website from a form created in google drive . The results will let me assess student understanding of material. After instruction, students will use the links on the website to experiment with mixing color on interactive color wheels. o Day 2: Students will create a color wheel that includes shaded and tinted primary, secondary, and tertiary colors online at kerpoof.com (see example: http://www.kerpoof.com/#/view?s=2gs11dPxngo3c0i21M00-d-29cb7d-x) o Day 3: Students will use glogster.com to analyze a work of art (chosen from a list on the classroom website) using color vocabulary. Final products will be loaded into a gallery on the classroom website for the students to share. Teacher Resources: o Google drive (forms and spreadsheets for formative assessments) o Classroom website o Diigo (social bookmarking of color theory/color wheel resources)

Scaffolding: o Students will learn how to navigate to the classroom website. o Classroom website with vocabulary and links to interactive color wheels provides students with access to the information outside of the classroom. o We will explore kerpoof.com as a class (showing how to navigate to the site, how to create a drawing, and how to use the tools on the site). o We will explore Glogster.com as a class (set up accounts, how to navigate the site, how to add graphics and text). We will also discuss the importance of content substance over special effects. Product: o Glogster (See embedded glog below to see model student outcome)