Week 4: Color Theory & Color Wheel

1st Six-Week Period - Foundation Building

Judson STEAM Academy | Middle School Art 1

Duration: 5 Days | TEKS: §117.202(b)(1)(A-D) Color Element

Essential Question: "How does color affect our emotions and the way we perceive art?"

Learning Objectives

  • Understand primary, secondary, and tertiary color relationships
  • Create accurate color wheels using proper color mixing
  • Identify warm and cool color families and their psychological effects
  • Apply color schemes (monochromatic, analogous, complementary)
  • Explore cultural and emotional associations with color

Daily Progression

Monday: Primary Colors

Red, blue, yellow foundation; color mixing basics

STEAM: Light spectrum physics
Tuesday: Secondary Colors

Orange, green, violet; mixing techniques

STEAM: Additive vs. subtractive color
Wednesday: Color Wheel

12-color wheel construction and relationships

STEAM: Mathematical color intervals
Thursday: Color Schemes

Complementary, analogous, monochromatic

STEAM: Digital color theory applications
Friday: Color Psychology & Cultural Studies

Emotional responses to color; cultural color meanings across different societies

STEAM: Psychology and anthropology connections
Materials
  • Tempera or acrylic paints (primary colors + white)
  • Brushes (flat and round, various sizes)
  • Mixing palettes or paper plates
  • Water containers and paper towels
  • Color wheel templates
  • Watercolor paper or heavy drawing paper
STEAM Focus
  • Science: Light wavelengths and color perception
  • Technology: RGB vs. CMYK color systems
  • Engineering: Color in industrial design
  • Math: Color wheel geometry and ratios
Portfolio Assessment
  • Primary Color Mixing Chart (Monday)
  • Secondary Color Studies (Tuesday)
  • Complete 12-Color Wheel (Wednesday)
  • Color Scheme Demonstrations (Thursday)
  • Color Psychology Artwork (Friday)
Evaluation Focus:
  • Color mixing accuracy (30%)
  • Color wheel completion (25%)
  • Understanding of relationships (25%)
  • Creative application (20%)
Differentiation

Advanced Students: Explore tertiary colors, create complex color schemes, study color theory in famous artworks

Struggling Students: Pre-mixed color options, simplified color wheel templates, partner support for mixing

ELL Students: Color vocabulary cards with visual examples, multilingual color names exploration

Cultural Connections

Explore how different cultures assign meaning to colors (red in Chinese culture vs. Western culture, etc.)

Safety & Management

  • Proper paint handling and storage
  • Water changing procedures
  • Brush care and cleaning techniques
  • Apron/clothing protection
  • Workspace organization for paint mixing
  • Collaborative sharing of materials
  • Clean-up rotations and responsibilities
  • Drying and storage systems
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