Ask students what their favorite color is and create a list on the board. Create a simple graph that outlines how many students like each color.
Have students find examples of objects in the room that contain their specified favorite color. Bring all of the objects back to a central location in the classroom.
Time required
30-45 minutesMaterials
- 20-30 objects in various colors
- Large length of black bulletin board paper
- Colored pencils, crayons, markers
- Chart paper/ markers
- Blank paper
- Large-block grid paper
Lesson Process
Step 1: Lay out a large piece of black bulletin board paper and lay out all of the items students found in the center.
Step 2: Ask students to begin grouping all objects together that have similar colors in piles along the length of the black paper. Do not tell students where to put the objects. Instead, allow students to inspect each object and determine for themselves how to categorize the colors of each object.
Step 3: Once students have categorized all objects, ask them to observe each pile and describe the similarities and differences within the colors. Then, have students create a label for the pile’s overarching color. Allow them to be as creative as possible – names like “watermelon” or “breezy” are fine.
Step 4: Transition students back to their seats or tables. Provide them each with a set of markers, crayons or colored pencils and blank paper.
Step 5: Ask students to select a color group from the black paper and then choose crayons, markers or colored pencils that best represent that color group.
Step 6: Experiment with ways to create different colors using the same crayon, marker or colored pencil and various pressures.
Assessment
Provide students with large-block grid paper.
Have students divide the paper into quarters and in each quarter, fill in the blocks with the same color using different pressures.
Label each quarter with the category color name.
Assess students on their use of color and their categorization of similar colors in each quarter.
