Exploring Colour Theory

Lesson Overview

Unit: Creative Expression Exploration (Lesson 2 of 10)
Duration: 60 minutes
Class Size: 1 student
Age Group: Year 8 (12-13 years)
Country: Wales (UK)

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Curriculum for Wales Alignment

Area of Learning and Experience (AoLE): Expressive Arts

• Art & Design
• Statement of What Matters:
  “Exploring and creating with media and materials develops creative and expressive skills and deepens understanding of visual language.”
• Learning Experience Outcomes (LEOs):
  • Year 8:
    • L8_ArtD/01 - Investigate and experiment confidently with media, materials, and techniques to express ideas and feelings.
    • L8_ArtD/07 - Understand and apply the use of colour theory in artistic work.
• Cross-curricular skills:
  • Creativity and critical thinking
  • Communication (verbal and visual literacy)
• Literacy: Dyslexia-friendly texts to support understanding of technical vocabulary.

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WALT

We Are Learning To

• Understand and identify primary, secondary, and tertiary colours
• Experiment with mixing paint to create our own colour wheel
• Apply colour theory to reflect mood and meaning in creative work

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the learner will:

1. Define primary, secondary, and tertiary colours using appropriate terminology.
2. Create a colour wheel through practical mixing of paints.
3. Reflect on how different colours combine and influence artistic expression.

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Resources Needed

• Red, yellow, and blue acrylic or poster paints (primary colours)
• Palettes or mixing trays
• Paintbrushes and water pots
• White paper for colour wheel
• Colour theory vocabulary sheet (dyslexia-friendly format: clear font, short sentences, colour-coded terms)
• Colour wheel template outline (optional for guidance)
• Visual aids: printed or digital posters showing primary, secondary, tertiary colours
• Mirror or camera (for optional extension activity)

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction & Engage (10 minutes)

• Briefly introduce the concept of colour theory with the student.
• Show visual aids that display primary, secondary, and tertiary colours.
• Use simple examples from everyday life (e.g., mixing colours in cooking or nature).
• Teacher Talk & Discussion: Ask the student to describe what they already know about colours.

Differentiation: Use colour-coded, dyslexia-friendly flashcards to support understanding of new vocabulary.

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2. Explore & Explain (15 minutes)

• Demonstrate how to mix primary colours to create secondary colours:
  • Red + Yellow = Orange
  • Blue + Yellow = Green
  • Red + Blue = Purple
• Then show how mixing a primary and secondary colour creates tertiary colours (e.g., Red + Orange = Red-Orange).

Activity: Student experiments by mixing paints to create all primary, secondary, and tertiary colours, filling in their own colour wheel on paper.

Differentiation:

• For fine motor difficulties, offer alternative tools such as paint sponges or pre-mixed paints in sample pots.
• Provide a step-by-step colour mixing chart for reference.

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3. Practise & Apply (20 minutes)

• Guide student to create and label their own colour wheel, mixing paint carefully and identifying each colour segment.
• Encourage the student to describe the process aloud or write short notes on their observations:
  • Which colours were easy to mix?
  • Which colours surprised them?
• Discuss emotional or symbolic meanings of selected colours briefly (e.g., red for passion, blue for calm).

Extension Activity:

• Invite the student to mix “tints” and “shades” by adding white or black paint to colours on their wheel, expanding their understanding of colour value and tone.
• Have the student take close-up photos of their mixed colours and create a digital mini-presentation explaining the process.

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4. Reflect & Review (10 minutes)

• Review the completed colour wheel with the student. Confirm understanding of primary, secondary, and tertiary colours.
• Ask the student to share one new fact they learned about colour mixing.
• Return to the WALT and check if learning objectives were met.

Assessment: Formative assessment through observation, questioning, and review of the student’s colour wheel.

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Homework / Follow-up

Ask the student to observe colours in their environment at home or outside. They should take photos or make sketches of objects that show primary, secondary, or tertiary colours and bring them to the next lesson.

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Additional Notes

For Dyslexic Learners:

• All written materials will use Arial font, size 14+, with clear spacing.
• Information broken into bullet points and supported by visuals.
• Colour-coded key vocabulary (e.g., primary = red text, secondary = green text, tertiary = blue text) to reinforce memory.

For Advanced Learners:

• Explore complementary colours and discuss their impact in art composition.
• Research an artist well known for use of colour (e.g., Henri Matisse) and present a brief summary.

Personalised Learning:

• As this is a one-to-one lesson, pace can be adapted to the student’s understanding and interests.
• Allow the student to select preferred colours or media if they want (e.g., chalk pastels) to further personalise the experience.

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This lesson blends practical creativity with core curriculum goals from Expressive Arts in Curriculum for Wales, embedding both conceptual knowledge and hands-on skill development. It actively engages the learner by combining sensory, visual, and verbal learning styles in a manageable 60-minute session.