Practical Work on Colour – JSS2 Cultural & Creative Arts Lesson Note (First Term)

A colour wheel is a circle that shows how colours relate to each other.

• Subject: Creative Arts (Cultural and Creative Arts)
• Class: JSS2
• Duration: 40 minutes
• Lesson focus: mixing red, yellow and blue paint to make orange, green and purple, then painting a six-part colour wheel.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Name the three primary colours and the three secondary colours.
2. Mix primary colours to create secondary colours.
3. Explain how orange, green and purple are formed.
4. Create their own six-part colour wheel using paints or crayons.

What are primary colours?

Primary colours are the three basic colours that cannot be made by mixing other colours.

• Red: one of the three starting colours, as in a ripe tomato.
• Yellow: the second starting colour, as in a ripe plantain.
• Blue: the third starting colour, as in a clear sky.

What are secondary colours?

Secondary colours are the three colours made by mixing two primary colours in equal amounts.

• Orange: made from red and yellow.
• Green: made from yellow and blue.
• Purple: made from red and blue.

How do primary colours mix to make secondary colours?

Mixing two primary colours always gives the same secondary colour.

What materials are needed?

• Powder paint: red, yellow and blue.
• Water containers: for thinning paint and washing brushes.
• Paintbrushes: one clean brush for each mix.
• White paper or cardboard: for testing colours and drawing the wheel.
• Mixing palettes or small plates: for mixing the paints.
• Pencils and rulers: for drawing the circle and its parts.
• Erasers: for correcting pencil lines.
• Old newspapers: to cover desks.

What should pupils already know?

Pupils should already know the primary and secondary colours from the previous lesson.

• Primary colours: red, yellow and blue.
• Secondary colours: orange, green and purple.

Introduction (5 minutes)

The introduction recalls the primary colours and gets pupils to predict what mixing will do.

1. Ask pupils to name the three primary colours they learned about last week.
2. Show three paint containers holding red, yellow and blue paint.
3. Tell pupils that today they will mix these colours themselves.
4. Ask: “What do you think will happen if we mix red and yellow together?”
5. Write some of the pupils’ guesses on the board.

Step 1: How do primary colours mix? (8 minutes)

The teacher demonstrates each mix on a large paper or whiteboard where everyone can see clearly.

First mix: making orange

1. Put some red paint on one side of the palette.
2. Add yellow paint next to it.
3. Use a clean brush to mix them together slowly.
4. Watch as orange appears.

• Discussion: pupils say what they see.
• Key point: red and yellow always give orange, every time.

Second mix: making green

1. Show the yellow paint.
2. Add blue paint to it.
3. Mix them together.
4. Green appears.

• Link to life: ask pupils to remember grass, leaves and trees, which are all green.
• Key point: yellow and blue give the same green each time.

Third mix: making purple

1. Mix red and blue paint.
2. Purple comes out.
3. Pupils observe how the colour looks.

• Link to life: purple is often used for royal clothing and beautiful flowers.

Step 2: How do pupils practise mixing in groups? (15 minutes)

In group practice, each group repeats the three mixes on its own.

• Group size: the teacher divides the class into groups of 4 to 5 pupils.
• Colours: red, yellow and blue.
• Tools: mixing palettes or plates, paintbrushes and water containers.
• Paper: sheets for testing colours.

Group activity

1. Each group mixes red + yellow to make orange.
2. They mix yellow + blue to make green.
3. They mix red + blue to make purple.
4. Pupils write the name of each colour under its mixture.

What does the teacher do during the activity?

• Move around: visit every group and help those that need assistance.
• Balance colours: if a group uses too much of one colour, show them how to add more of the other colour.
• Check names: make sure each mixture is labelled correctly.

Step 3: What is a colour wheel and how do you make one? (10 minutes)

A colour wheel is a circle that shows how colours relate to each other and helps artists and designers choose colours that work well together.

How do you make a six-part colour wheel?

1. Draw a large circle on your paper, about the size of a saucer.
2. Divide the circle into six equal parts, like cutting a pizza into six slices.
3. Write the names of the sections in order: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple.
4. Paint or colour each section with the correct colour.
5. Check that no two primary colours (red, yellow, blue) sit next to each other.
6. Check that each secondary colour sits between the two primary colours that made it.

Where does each colour sit on the wheel?

How should the lesson be closed?

The closing checks each pupil’s colour wheel and tidies the room.

• Check work: the teacher goes round to see each pupil’s colour wheel.
• Give feedback: praise good work and correct mistakes gently.
• Clean up: pupils clean their brushes and put away materials.
• Display: the best colour wheels go on the classroom wall.
• Link to life: remind pupils that colours are in our clothes, in nature and in our homes.
• Purpose: knowing how colours mix helps pupils become better artists.

Evaluation (2 minutes)

1. What colours did you mix to get orange?
2. How did you make green?
3. Why do we call a colour wheel a “wheel”?
4. Name one primary colour and one secondary colour.

Assignment

1. At home, draw and colour a simple picture using all six colours from your colour wheel. Under the picture, write which colours are primary and which are secondary.

Teacher’s notes

• Too much water: some pupils make colours too light, so remind them to use less water.
• No paint: crayons or coloured pencils can be used, but mixing will not be possible, so pupils draw and colour the wheel with the colours they have.
• Spare paper: keep extra paper for pupils who want to start again.
• Early finishers: let them mix different amounts of each colour to see lighter or darker shades.

Prepared by: _________________

Date: _________________

Head Teacher’s Signature: _________________