Warm and Cool

Overview

This 45-minute interactive lesson invites Year 0-2 students to explore warm and cool colours through discussion, observation, and creative expression. Students will produce two artworks: one using warm colours and the other using cool colours, facilitating their understanding of colour categorisation and emotional associations.

Curriculum Links

This lesson aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh for The Arts (Visual Arts) at Levels 1–2 (ages 5–7), focusing on students becoming confident visual language users who develop skills in exploring and developing ideas and communicating their ideas in visual forms.

Relevant Learning Objectives (Visual Arts)

• Develop ideas in response to a variety of visual and tactile sources
• Experiment with elements of art, including colour, to communicate meanings
• Communicate and express ideas through their artwork
• Understand that colours can have different meanings and effects (e.g., warm colours feel energetic, cool colours feel calm)

Key Competencies

• Thinking: Students make connections and apply understanding creatively.
• Using language, symbols, and text: Students use visual language to communicate ideas.
• Relating to others: Students share ideas and respond to others’ work respectfully.

Learning Intentions

• Students will understand the difference between warm and cool colours.
• Students will identify warm and cool colours in their environment and artwork.
• Students will apply warm colours to one artwork and cool colours to another.

Success Criteria

• Students can correctly classify colours as warm or cool.
• Students produce two artworks: one featuring warm colours only, the other cool colours only.
• Students describe how their choice of colours makes them feel or what it reminds them of.

Resources Needed

• Large paper sheets (two per student)
• Paints (red, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple)
• Crayons/coloured pencils/markers (as alternatives)
• Colour cheek charts or laminated colour cards showing warm and cool colours
• Visual aids: pictures or objects emphasising warm (e.g., sun, fire) and cool (e.g., water, leaves)
• Smocks or aprons for painting

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Lesson Plan

Introduction (10 minutes)

• Welcome students and briefly review last lesson’s learning about colours.
• Use visual aids and simple language to introduce warm colours (red, orange, yellow) and cool colours (blue, green, purple).
• Show real-life objects or pictures to connect colours with feelings/meanings (e.g., "Red is like the sun, it feels warm and bright. Blue is like water, it feels cool and calm.")
• Engage students in a quick group activity: Point to a colour when I call out "warm" or "cool".

Dyslexia-friendly approach: Use clear, large visuals with colour names printed; keep language simple and repeat key words.

Guided Exploration (5 minutes)

• Present the colour cards or charts and have students hold up visuals of warm or cool colours when prompted.
• Ask guiding questions: "Can you find a warm colour? What about a cool colour?"
• Introduce the idea that colours can make us feel different things and artists use this to tell stories with colour.

Activity Part 1: Warm Colours Artwork (12 minutes)

• Each student creates a painting using only warm colours on one sheet.
• Encourage exploration: "What can you paint with just reds, oranges, and yellows?"
• Allow students to choose their medium (paint, crayons, markers) to support different learning needs.

Differentiation: Students with fine motor difficulties may use sponges or brushes with guided assistance. English language learners and those with dyslexia receive prompts supported by visuals and step-by-step instructions.

Activity Part 2: Cool Colours Artwork (12 minutes)

• Repeat the process with cool colours on a second sheet.
• Prompt students to think about what feelings the cool colours inspire (calm, peaceful).
• Encourage sharing ideas with a partner about what they painted.

Reflection and Sharing (6 minutes)

• Invite students to share their warm and cool artworks with the group.
• Facilitate a brief discussion asking students to identify whether each artwork is warm or cool and how the colours make them feel.
• Reinforce language: “Warm colours are…,” “Cool colours are…” with picture cues.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Visual examples: Use highly visual, tactile colour cards and real objects for all instructions.
• Choice of medium: Paint, crayons, or markers — caters to sensory preferences and motor skills.
• Simplified language and repetition: Instructions emphasise key vocabulary (warm, cool, colours).
• Pair and share: Buddy system for students who may need language or social support.
• Support prompts: Visual step-by-step charts to guide the painting process.

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Extension Activities (for advanced learners)

• Create a blended artwork combining warm and cool colours side-by-side or integrated.
• Experiment with mixing colours to observe how warm and cool colours can create new shades.
• Use storytelling: "Tell a story about your painting using warm and cool colours - how does it make you feel?"

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Assessment for Learning

• Observe students as they sort colour cards during the introduction.
• Review finished artworks to check appropriate use of warm and cool colours.
• Listen to student explanations during reflection to assess understanding of colour concepts.

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Tips for Engagement and Inclusion

• Use a variety of hands-on materials to keep attention and cater to sensory differences.
• Implement frequent breaks if required to support those with short attention spans or ADHD.
• Use positive reinforcement celebrating all efforts to build confidence.
• Incorporate Te Reo Māori for colour names where possible to foster bicultural understanding (e.g., wera - warm, makariri - cool).

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This lesson actively supports students to meet the curriculum’s aims of developing their visual and verbal communication, creativity, and cultural awareness with an enriching and accessible approach to the world of colour.

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References:

• New Zealand Curriculum Refresh: Visual Arts Level 1–2 learning objectives and key competencies.
• Te Mātaiaho | English in the New Zealand Curriculum (for language and instruction strategies).
• Recommendations for dyslexia-friendly teaching from NZ curriculum guides【14:New Zealand Curriculum.html】.