Lesson Plan - Watercolor Basics

Watercolor basics Lesson Plan

 Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

10 pts 

 Watercolor basics – you will create one sample for each of the techniques below. 

Divide paper into 12 sections. Label each section as you paint it with the technique used. When mixing colors remember to rinse your brush between colors and change the rinse water often when it is dirty, watercolors muddy quickly. 

 Materials – 1 sheet of watercolor paper, watercolors, brushes, water tub, other supplies below 

1. Washes - The most basic watercolor technique is the flat wash. It is produced by first wetting the area of the paper with water to be covered by the wash, then mixing sufficient pigment to easily fill the entire area. The pigment is applied to a sloping surface in slightly overlapping horizontal bands from the top down. Once complete the wash should be left to dry and even itself out - don't be tempted to work back into a drying wash, the results are usually disastrous! a. Use a regular pencil to add lines to a watercolor wash after it has dried. b. Wet the paper then incise the paper with a sharp tool and add a watercolor wash. c. Lay on a layered wash of colors then sprinkle on rocks/pebbles and let it dry. d. Lay on a layered wash of colors then use a straw and drop a few drops of alcohol into it. e. Use salt to texture your background - sprinkle salt on a wet wash of watercolor let dry and brush off. f. Lay tissue paper over wet paper, let dry. Then either pull off tissue or use watered-down glue to attach. 

 2. Wet in Wet - Wet in wet is simply the process of applying pigment to wet paper. The results vary from soft undefined shapes to slightly blurred marks, depending on how wet the paper is. The wet in wet technique can be applied over existing washes provided they are thoroughly dry. Simply wet the paper with a large brush and paint it into the dampness. The soft marks made by painting wet in wet are great for subtle background regions of your painting. 

3. Wet on Dry – (wet brush on dry paper) for more controlled paintings. Dry brush is almost the opposite watercolor technique to wet in wet. Here a brush loaded with pigment (and not too much water) is dragged over the completely dry paper. The marks produced by this technique are very crisp and hard-edged. They will tend to come forward in your painting and so are best applied around the center of interest. Using a round brush, apply color to dry paper – controlled strokes and color. Using a round brush make marks with the tip of the brush. 

 4. Use plastic wrap for unusual background effects (stretched or crumpled) lay down a wash and lay plastic wrap on wet paint add another color under the plastic wrap, let dry, and pull off. 

5. Lifting Off - Use paper towels or tissue paper to blot or lift color from the paper for interesting backgrounds. Most watercolor pigment can be dissolved and lifted off after it has dried. The process for lifting off is simple - wet the area to be removed with a brush and clean water then blot the pigment away with a tissue. Using strips of paper to mask areas of pigment will produce interesting hard-edged lines and shapes. 

6. Use crayons for a resist effect. Apply crayon to paper in desired design, brush over with watercolor. a. Use bright colors of crayons or oil pastels and overlap some colors, then paint over and into the drawing with watercolor. b. Use something pointed and scrape back into the waxy surface for another effect. 

7. Dropping in Color -This technique is simply the process of introducing color to a wet region of the painting and allowing it to blend bleed and feather without interruption. The result is sometimes unpredictable but yields interesting and vibrant color gradations that can’t be achieved by mixing the pigment on the palette. 

8. Markers – using an old marker draw on your paper then brush with water. 

9. Sponging – create a puddle of watercolor on the lid (palette) then dip in a sponge. Sponge color onto the paper. 

10. Masking tape stencil – apply masking tape in a design on paper, watercolor over the tape. When almost dry peel off tape for a resist. 

11. Spattering – using a toothbrush or other stiff bristle brush, dip in paint on the palette then run your finger over the bristles above your paper to create a spatter of color. 

 12. Draw with Charcoal – Using clean water and a brush, go into the charcoal and blend to make value changes.

Lesson Plan - Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves 

 10 pts 

3rd grade 

3 - 55 minute class periods 

 

Objective - Students are introduced to watercolor using warm and cool colors with leaves. 

 Goals - Students will: 

1. Point out and name the warm and cool colors. 

2. Develop skills in painting and mixing color. 

3. Learn about contour line and texture 

 Vocabulary – warm colors, cool colors, texture, contour line, palette, overlap 

Materials - Watercolor paint 

Watercolor paper 9" x 12"

Water and water containers

Paintbrush

Paper towel 

Palette 

Sharpie Marker 

Leaves for example 

Examples – student and teacher samples of assignment, demonstration of using watercolor 

 Cue set – tell the students this will be a painting project 

 Best shot – demonstrate watercolor painting on paper for the whole class 

 Art Production – 

Day 1 

1. Explain to students that they will learn about warm and cool colors. 

2. Point out that yellow, red, and orange are warm colors and blue, green, and violet are cool colors. Have students give examples of warm and cool things. Write them on the board. 

3. Demonstrate contour lines and texture on the board. 

4. Pass out watercolor paper and leaves. 

 5. Write directions on the board. Have students copy the directions on the back of their paper. 

 Directions – 

 3 leaves must overlap 

 5 or more leaves on the page 

 1 leaf going off EACH edge 

 Cool colors - background 

 Warm colors - leaves 

 Outline and add texture and details first 

 Watercolor leaves Let dry 

 Watercolor background 

 6. Students will lightly draw the contour lines of the leaves on their paper. 

7. Students will outline and texture leaves before they watercolor. Independent practice.

Day 2 – 

1. Review warm and cool colors. 

2. Demonstrate how to paint the colors so they don’t mix and get muddy. Remind students to paint the leaves first then let it dry. 

Day 3 – 

1. Students will paint the background for this class period 

 

Extensions – 

Have students create a work of art similar in style to a Pop Artist Use the color wheel to make art prints Closure 

– have students answer questions on color mixing Let them know what we will be doing next class period 

 

Formative assessment – 

review of color mixing in next lesson Summative assessment – test on color wheel and warm and cool colors

Lesson Plan - Van Gogh's Flowers

Van Gogh’s Flowers Still Life 

4th grade 

Lesson time approx. 3 – 55 minute lessons 

Objectives – Students will 

- learn to fold the paper in half and cut a symmetrical design 

- learn to apply glue in small amounts 

- use pattern as a design element 

- use a variety of mediums (tempura, pastels, watercolors) to create a collage 

- learn to use composition 

 Description – students will create a still life using several mediums. 

 Vocabulary – symmetrical, composition, mediums, design elements, background 

Cue set – a variety of visuals will be displayed and students will discuss using paint, crayons, markers, and papers to create a collage. 

 Best shot – 

Demonstrate creating patterns with paint on several sheets of paper 

 Demonstrate using crayons to make a background 

 Show a completed project to create interest in students 

 Examples – teacher examples, Van Gogh prints of flowers 

 Materials – 

- colored construction paper 

- tempura paint - brushes 

- water tubs 

- watercolors 

- scissors 

- crayons 

- oil pastels 

- glue 

- paper 

 Artist history –Vincent van Gogh 

 "...I am overwhelmed by such a feeling of loneliness to such a horrible extent that I shy away from going out...only when I stand before my easel, do I feel somewhat alive."Vincent van Gogh was born in 1853 in a small village in Holland. The family had connections in the art world and at age 16, van Gogh was apprenticed to an art dealership. At the age of 25, van Gogh began religious studies in Amsterdam, later moving to a coal-mining district in Belgium where the workers and their families lived in terrible poverty. Filled with compassion, van Gogh gave away many of his possessions to those under his care. Believing that his actions were too extreme, he was dismissed by his superiors. After suffering severe depression, van Gogh began to take an interest in drawing the miners and their families. By age 27, he had abandoned his religious pursuits and began to pursue a career as an artist. It was also at this time that his brother began to support him financially, a situation that continued until van Gogh’s death. It was in Paris when he moved in with his brother Theo, that van Gogh was introduced to the works of the Impressionists which had a profound influence on his use of color. He began to move away from dark and subdued colors and adopted more vibrant hues. It was also during this time that van Gogh became interested in Japanese art and began to incorporate it into his work. 

Art Production – 

 Day 1 – 

1. Talk with students about different shapes (circles, squares, rectangles, triangles) lines (horizontal, vertical, curvy, zigzag, diagonal), and patterns (repeating objects). 

2. Remind students to place their names and rotation on paper. 

3. Have students paint several sheets of paper with shapes, lines, and patterns. 

4. Place on the dry rack to dry. 

 Day 2 – 

1. Remind students to place their names and rotation on paper. 

2. Students will use oil pastels to make a background on paper. 

 3. Talk about making a horizon line. This is where the vase will sit on the table 

4. Above the table will be the wall. Remind students to use patterns they learned on Day 1. 

 5. When finished with pastels, have students watercolor background. This leaves a resist. Let dry. 

6. Place in group folders when done. 

 Day 3 – 

1. Talk about symmetry. 

2. Pass out construction paper and show students how to fold in half (remind them of their name tags). 3. Have students unfold the paper and place in front of them with the mountain up. 

4. Explain to them to draw a symmetrical shape from the crease to crease. Draw an example on board and demonstrate. 

5. Fold in half and cut on the drawn line for a vase shape. 6

. Show students how to glue the vase onto the background that was created on Day 2. 

7. Draw leaf and flower shapes on the board for reference. 

8. Cut out stems and leaves from green construction paper and add leaf details with a sharpie marker. 

9. Cut out flowers from painted papers from Day 1, glue them into place. 

10. Let dry and mount on black construction paper. 

 

Assessment – 

- Teacher observation 

– ability to use glue, paint shapes, cut on the line, clean up 

 Closure – 

- all tools and materials used need to be put away properly 

- tables and chairs need to be wiped off 

- talk to students about what they will be doing on the project next time you meet

Lesson Plan - Pop Art

Pop Art using Food Containers 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

10 pts 

Grade – 3rd and up 

Subject – art, math 

Time – approximately 60 minutes 

Description – Students will create a pop art “collage” using food labels, rulers, markers, and paper. 

Goals/objectives – Students will 

· have a look at the world around them as they begin to take a close look at print advertising and product packaging 

· demonstrate understanding of colors and shapes 

· demonstrate knowledge of Andy Warhol and his work 

· develop an appreciation for their art work and other student art work 

· develop use with a ruler 

· develop expressive skills through the use of rulers and markers 

· develop skills using the whole picture plane 

Visuals – 

· art work from previous students 

· teacher examples 

· posters of pop artists work 

Materials – 

· pencils 

· paper 

· rulers 

· markers 

· labels 

Vocabulary – 

· Andy Warhol – pop artist famous for using celebrity faces in his art work 

- Pop art – form of art that depicts objects from everyday life 

 Advertising – art based on the advertising of everyday objects 

Art History – · Brief bio – Pop art and Andy Warhol, Wayne Thiebaud 

· Pop art was a visual artistic movement that emerged in the early 1950s in England and in parallel in the late 1950's in the United States. Pop art is one of the major art movements of the Twentieth Century. Characterized by themes and techniques drawn from popular mass culture, such as advertising and comic books, pop art is widely interpreted as either a reaction to the then-dominant ideas of abstract expressionism or an expansion upon them. Pop art, like pop music, aimed to employ images of popular as opposed to elitist culture in art, emphasizing the banal or kitschy elements of any given culture. Pop art at times targeted a broad audience and often claimed to do so. However, much of pop art is considered very academic, as the unconventional organizational practices used often make it difficult for some to comprehend. Pop art and Minimalism are considered to be the last Modern art movements and thus the precursors to Contemporary art or Postmodern art. 

Art Production - 

· students will measure 1” squares on the food label 

· multiply that measurement by 5 and draw those squares on the page 

· place several squares on the page in a random arrangement with overlapping 

· draw image in the enlarged square and color in the image to match the food label 

 Extensions – 

· Have students look at magazines and pick out several ads for their favorite products. What is the message in those ads? How is the message delivered? Have a discussion about advertising while looking through the magazines. What kinds of ads are most effective? Which ads do you like the most and why? What colors appear most often in ads? How are different products shown in ads? What kinds of colors and shapes appear most often on food packaging? Why? 

Assessment Criteria – · Did students measure correctly? · Did students clean up in a timely manner? · Did the lesson take longer than required?

Lesson Plan - Color Wheel

Color Wheel 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

10 pts 

4th grade 2 - 55 minute class periods 

Description - Students are introduced to the basic steps in mixing secondary colors from primary colors of tempera paint. You will create a color wheel using tempera paint and poster board creating an interesting composition using the primary, secondary, tertiary, and complementary hues of the color wheel. 

 Objectives - Students will: 

1. Point out and name the primary and secondary colors. 

2. Mix primary colors of paint to create secondary colors of paint. 

3. Know which colors are warm and which colors are cool on the color wheel. 

4. Develop skills in painting and mixing colors. 

Vocabulary – primary color, hue, secondary color, color wheel, palette, complementary color 

Primary colors – red, blue, yellow 

Secondary colors – orange, violet, green 

Tertiary colors – red-violet, red-orange, blue-green, blue-violet, orange-yellow, yellow-green 

Complementary colors – opposite hues mixed to create brown – red-green, yellow-violet, blue-orange  

Materials - 

Tempera paint: red, yellow, and blue 

White paper, 9" x 12", 2 per student

Water and water containers

Paintbrush, 1 per student

Paper towel 

Palette 

Sharpie Marker 

Examples – color wheel and teacher samples of assignment 

 Cue set – tell the students this will be a painting project 

 Best shot – demonstrate color mixing Guided practice 

Art Production – Day 1 

1. Students will create at least 4 concept sketches of the finished design in their sketchbooks. Choose your best one and recreate it into a color wheel on a poster board with a pencil. 

 2. All 15 hues must be in the design and all colors must be labeled. 

 3. Finished work will be 8 1/2” by 11”, horizontal or vertical format. 

 4. Demonstrate mixing complementary colors (red + green = brown, etc) 

 5. Distribute supplies. Students will practice mixing complementary colors on the palette 

 6. Then students will sketch out designs on their paper mixing complementary colors to make brown. (red + green = brown, orange + blue = brown, yellow + violet = brown) 

Day 2 – 

1. Explain to students that they will learn to mix paint. Focus on the color wheel. Ask students which colors can be mixed together to make orange, green, and violet. 

2. Point out that yellow, red and blue are called primary colors because you can mix them together and make other colors. Orange, green, and violet are called secondary colors because they can be mixed from two primary colors. Explain complementary colors and how they are mixed. 

 3. Demonstrate mixing yellow and blue to make green, yellow, and red to make orange and red and blue to make violet. 

 4. Ask students to explain what the samples of mixed paint show (mix red and yellow to make orange, etc.). 

5. Review the color wheel again along with color mixing. 

 6. Paint each shape with its correct color. 

 7. Label each design with the color's name with a Sharpie marker. 

 Extensions – Have students create a work of art similar in style to a Pop Artist 

 Use the color wheel to make art prints 

 Closure – Have students answer questions on color mixing let them know what we will be doing next class period clean up all supplies and sinks 

 Formative assessment – review of color mixing in next lesson 

 Summative assessment – color wheel test

Lesson Plan - Medieval Shields

Medieval Shields Cut Paper Collage 

10 pts 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

 6th grade 

4 lesson periods 

 Objective - Students will make a Medieval Shield from cut paper that will be a self-portrait of their family

. 

Vocabulary – self-portrait, collage, symmetrical, cut paper 

Materials – scissors, construction paper, pencil, rough draft paper, glue 

Cue set – talk about self-portraits and things that represent the student and their family

 Art history - Heraldry is a very old visual language that was originally used to identify warriors. Men in armor looked alike, so each knight chose a symbol and color that distinguished him from all the others. He wore these identifications first on his shield and later on the surcoat over his armor. A son wore the same coat as his father but to show the relationship made a small change in the designs and colors. Thus, coats of arms were passed down from one generation to the next. Men called heralds were given the responsibility of keeping the records. These rolls of arms were eventually sent to a college of arms that collects these designs along with the family history. In this way, heraldry is related to genealogy, the study of family relationships. Many people are entitled to bear versions of the arms of their ancestors after they have completed the necessary research to show their relationship to the original bearer. But most of us do not have such ancestors, so if we want our own coat of arms we must design it ourselves. 

Guided practice – 

1. Show teacher example and talk about the shield 

2. Draw some examples of shields on the board 

3. Talk about heraldry and making a shield that represents you 

 Art production – Day 1 

1. demonstrate the use of gluing 

2. demonstrate the use of layering to make items have depth 

3. stress symmetrical designs 

4. brainstorm ideas in your sketchbook 

 Day 2 – 

1. Choose construction paper colors and begin cutting, assembling, and gluing 

 Extensions – students could paint designs, use markers, or other materials 

Lesson Plan - Crayon Etchings/Crayon Scratch

Crayon Etchings 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

10 pts 

Grade – 2nd to 6th 

Time – 1 or 2 45 minute classes 

Etchings are made by scratching into a surface. You can create a beautiful crayon etching of your name by scratching lines into layers of crayon. 

Objectives – The student will

1. Learn about etchings 

2. Create a crayon etching 

3. Experience line 

Vocabulary – etchings, line – wavy, curved, straight, diagonal, round, etc 

Materials – poster board or old file folders crayons or oil pastels variety of drawing tools (toothpicks, large nails, paper clips...) sketchbook and pencil black tempera paint dish soap brushes and water 

Art production

1. Take a piece of poster board or an old manila file folder approximately 8” by 10”. Cover the gray side of the poster board with a layer of crayons, do not use dark colors. Use even, firm pressure. You can make it all one color or create a pattern of different colors. Press hard to cover the entire area of the poster board evenly with small patches of color no larger than 2” by 2”. 

2. Now color over the first layer of color with black tempera paint mixed with a small amount of dish soap. The dish soap helps the tempura adhere to the crayon layer. Let dry. 

3. While the paint is drying make several sketches in your sketchbook and chose the best one to recreate on your name in the crayon etching. Simple objects with interesting lines work best. Looking closely at the object will help you see the interesting lines, patterns, textures, and other details. 

4. Use a variety of drawing tools to draw different lines, patterns, and textures. Try toothpicks, unbent paper clips, nails, screws, or other tools that will scrape through the black layer without tearing the paper. Draw gently! If you make a mistake, reapply the tempura paint to cover it up. 

Examples – previous student work, artist etchings (Rembrandt, Durer), teacher example 

History – The art of engraving with acid on metal; also the print taken from the metal plate so engraved. In hard-ground etching, the plate, usually of copper or zinc, is given a thin coating or ground of acid-resistant resin. This is sometimes smoked so that lines scratched through the resin will be clearly visible. A needle exposes the metal without penetrating it. When the design is completed, the plate is submerged in an acid solution that attacks the exposed lines. During the bath, the plate is frequently removed, and such lines as are bitten to sufficient depth are coated with stopping-out varnish. The lines receiving the longest exposure to the acid will be the heaviest and darkest in the print. It is also possible to apply the acid locally to the plate. In printing, all varnish is removed, the plate is warmed, coated with etcher’s ink, and then carefully wiped so that the ink remains in the depressions but is largely or wholly removed from the surface. It is then covered with a soft, moist paper and run through an etching press. There are many variations in the technique of etching. Etchers often remove undesired lines by burnishing and otherwise change the first state of the plate from which they make their trial print. Certain etchings appear in many and widely differing states. Only a limited number of first-rate proofs can be made from a plate, and some etchers destroy their plates after making a given number of prints. Soft-ground etching gives effects similar to those obtained in pencil or crayon drawing, while aquatint approximates the effects of a wash drawing. Aquatint is often combined with hard-ground etching, as is also dry point. This latter technique is not true etching, as no acid is employed; drypoint produces a finer line than does aquatint. Pictorial etching evolved gradually from the earlier burin engraving. Both seem to have originated in Germany, where Dürer’s etchings on iron, made between 1510 and 1520, were probably the earliest important examples of art that in the following centuries was practiced by many of the greatest draftsmen and painters. Among the foremost in the history of etching are the works of Dürer, Callot, Rembrandt, the Tiepoli, the Piranesi, Goya, and Whistler. 

Extensions – a project that leads into printmaking, science nature drawings, social studies history of the time period, or artist Assessments – was crayon applied heavily? Was the assignment etched with the proper tools? Was the correct side of the poster board used? 

Closure – have each student show their name design to the class. Talk about lines used and clean up.

Lesson Plan - Pastel Glue Picture

Pastel Glue Picture 

Lesson Plan Theme - Outer space 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

10 pts 

Grade Level - Grades 3 through 6 

Time Required - Up to 2 class periods (45 - 60 minutes a period).

Students love this process. A process is a unique way of producing a visual image that is not just drawing or painting directly on paper. This project involves drawing an image using school glue, then using pastel to apply color. The resulting compositions form interesting textures and use of color. 

 Lesson Objectives -To develop and promote an awareness of a nontraditional art process. 

Vocabulary – pastels, texture, stained glass, mixed media, planet names, artist Rouault 

Materials – Black construction paper, Elmer’s glue, pencil, pastels, white chalk Examples – Georges Rouault posters, stained glass posters, previous student work, 

History - Georges Rouault, an artist who lived and worked in France about 100 years ago. Rouault grew up in Paris. George learned to love the shapes and colors and forms that artists created, and he wanted to be an artist himself. When he was a teenager, Rouault got a job as an apprentice for a stained glass studio. He learned all the skills of making colored glass, cutting shapes, and putting them together to make intricate stained glass windows. When he was a young man, he left the stained glass business and went to art school. His art is best known for its rich colors and heavy black outlines. Rouault liked to use really thick layers of paint. (the history of stained glass could also be used) 

Procedure - Sketch your image of outer space on black paper using white chalk. Remember to keep the design simple, with no small or tiny details. You will create at least 2 planets, 1 ship or rocket, and a design of your choice in the background. Trace over the chalk lines with school glue using a squeeze bottle type dispenser. Put the image in a safe place to dry (usually for 24 hours). After the guidelines are dry, fill in the areas formed by the glue lines with pastel. Use the side of the pastel so that the glue lines will leave black areas around each color. Colors can be over-drawn with other colors for texture effects or value gradations. 

Extensions – stained glass project, pastel use, blending colors, science lesson on the planets 

Assessment - The glue lines of each project should stand up above the surface of the paper so that the colors do not completely fill in the areas that they define. Colors should be bright and varied. Determine if the students attempted to do more than the minimum requirements. 

Closure – have students show pictures to the rest of the class, clean up

Lesson Plan - Pastel Fireworks

Pastel Fireworks 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

10 pts 

Grade – k to 2nd grade 1 - 30 to 45 minute session

Students will experience oil pastels creating fireworks on construction paper. 

 

 Objectives - Students will 

- Use oil pastels or crayons creating line on paper 

- Learn about circles, dots, lines 

 Vocabulary – oil pastels, circle, lines, dots 

 Materials – oil pastels or crayons, black construction paper 

 Examples – previous student work, teacher example 

History – The discovery of fireworks, or namely the formulation of gunpowder is believed to have occurred by chance approximately 2,000 years ago in China. It is thought that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed three common kitchen ingredients that were heated over a fire and dried to give a black flaky powder that burned with a loud bang when ignited. This crude, early mixture has come to be known in our modern world today as gun powder. The Chinese named this fascinating black powder "huo yao" ("Fire Chemical") and developed it further. The mixture was inserted into the hollow of a bamboo stick and when thrown into a fire, the gases produced by the ignited burning powder inside caused an immense build-up of pressure and blasted the tube apart. The basic firecracker was born. Thereafter, firecrackers played an essential part in Chinese festivities -weddings, and religious rituals - gave cause for celebrations to be heard. The bang of the firecrackers was believed to be powerful enough to scare off evil spirits. 

Art Production – 

 1. On the board, show examples of lines and circles 

 2. Talk to students about fireworks and what they look like 

 3. Pass out construction paper and pastels 

 4. Have the student put their name on the back of paper 

 5. Have students make random dots on the paper in one color at various intervals all over the black paper 

 6 . Have the student make a circle with another color around the dots 

 7. Have students make lines of another color around the circles. This may be repeated with another color. 

 8. When the circles begin to touch each other decide which ones will complete their circles and stop the rings of the other circles where they meet. 

 9. Have them repeat the lines until the page is filled with fireworks 

 Extensions – using oil pastels in a watercolor resist project using lines, dots, and circles, use white paper in this project with crayons, and use black watercolor over the picture when finished. 

 Assessment – did students use circles, dots, and lines? 

 Closure – talk about fireworks and when the students see them, this could lead to a social studies section on the Fourth of July. Clean up all supplies.

Lesson Plan - Colorful Bugs Portfolio

Colorful Bugs Portfolio

25 pts 

Art 141 Art for Elementary Teachers 

Instructor Kelly Parker 

Portfolio - Your finished portfolio will be used for the storage of your flat art projects and will be part of your final grade. You will store all projects completed in class in your portfolio. 

Grade Levels Elementary through Junior High 

Time Required - One class period (45 - 60 minutes)

 Many bugs in nature are very colorful and have interesting shapes. This lesson will let students explore shape and primary colors by creating original and whimsical insect creatures. Students will tear colored paper into shapes appropriate to imaginary insects. Shapes will be arranged and glued to a background sheet.  

Lesson Objectives - 

After completing this lesson, students would be able to: 

1. Discuss and demonstrate the uses of shape and primary color in the creation of an original visual image. 

2.Organize shapes and colors in an original visual image. 

Vocabulary – primary colors, neutral colors 

Materials – 2 sheets of poster board for each student, construction paper in primary colors, glue, yarn, and hole punch Examples – teacher examples or previous student examples 

History/technique – discuss primary colors – red, blue, yellow, neutral colors – white, black, gray 

Procedure - Begin the lesson with a brief class discussion of bugs and primary colors. Ask students to name the various parts of a "typical" bug (examples: legs, head, eyes, pinchers, claws, feelers, fuzz, etc.). List them all on the chalkboard under the heading "bug parts." 

Write the primary colors on the board. Ask students about the shapes and colors they have seen on bugs (examples: round, oval, fat, skinny, red, green, black, etc.) 

List them on the board under the headings "shapes" and "colors." 

Distribute poster board. Direct students to develop their own insect creatures by tearing (no cutting allowed) the various parts of their bugs from colored construction paper and glue them to the black paper. 

Ask students to arrange all the parts before gluing in case something will need to be repositioned. The lists on the board are to be used as references for students as they proceed. The students can use all or some of the items listed. 

Direct students to: 

Make their bugs large enough to fit on the poster board. 

Make their bugs colorful. 

Use as many primary colors as necessary to complete their bugs 

Give their bugs a personality. Their bugs can be happy, funny, modest, clever or any have other personality traits. 

Extensions – lead into secondary colors, other collage lessons, science lessons on bugs

Assessment - The teacher reviews each student's work to verify that each project meets the minimum lesson requirements. All shapes are torn. Each image fills the space. Each image utilizes primary colors in an interesting way. The personality of each bug is emphasized through color and shape. Check craftsmanship, quality of gluing. The teacher may also wish to assess each student's level of participation during class discussion. 

Closure – clean up, remind students of primary colors, talk about next project