Creating a Colorful World

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

• Review the ideas from the clip, restating that there are three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. These colors are special because we can’t make them. If we mix two of the primary colors together, we get a new color, we call these new colors secondary colors.
• Demonstrate color mixing using a paper plate and small amounts of paint. Show the class what happens when you mix yellow + blue (green), red + blue (purple), and yellow + red (orange).
• Explain that the shade or darkness of your new secondary color depends on how much of each primary color you use.

Guided Practice

• Read aloud the book Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color by Julia Denos
• Ask the students to think about the story and what colors they saw.
• Have the students turn and talk to a partner to finish the sentence, “In the story I noticed____”
• Engage the class in a brief discussion about the main character with the following questions:
  • What did you like about the main character?
  • What made her interesting or unique?

Independent working time

• Explain that now students will get to practice mixing their own special colors.
• Show students how they can use their paper plate to create new colors. Remind students to start with small amounts of paint and play around with how much of each color to mix.
• Pass out paper, paintbrushes, and water to each student.
• Provide pairs or small groups of students with each of the three primary paint colors to share.