Primary Prints Lesson:

TITLE: “What Can I See?”

TYPE OF LESSON: personal expression through color exploration with language arts correlation

GRADE LEVEL: Kindergarten, (3) 20 minute periods

ACTIVITY: Students will create a print using primary colors.

OBJECTIVE(S):

(a)   Conceptual Objective: This lesson is designed to expose students to printmaking, by creating an individual symmetrical image using only primary colors.

(b)  Standard Objectives: This lesson will address the following state standards.

1.     Students will be able to identify and create a print using paint. (Standard 1.3.K.D.2; Performance: Create two and three dimensional works of art while exploring color, line, shape, form, texture, and space.)

2.     Students will be able to locate and identify primary and secondary colors. (Standard 1.1.K.D.2; Creative Process: Identify elements of art and principles of design in specific works of art and explain how they are used.)

3.     Students will be able to differentiate between images found in their artwork, and the artwork of their classmates. (Standard 1.4.K.B.2; Aesthetic Responses & Critique Methodologies: Apply the principles of positive critique in giving and receiving responses to exhibitions.)

4.     Students will be able to identify and elaborate on the images created in their prints through observation. (Standard 1.3.K.D.4; Performance: Demonstrate growing ability to represent experiences, thoughts, and ideas through a variety of age-appropriate materials and visual art media using memory, observation, and imagination.)

(c)   Artistic/ Academic Terminology (identified and applied)

Tempera paint, printmaking, symmetry, primary colors, secondary colors, shape, color, line, texture

(d)  Practical Objectives:

1.     Students will practice control of paint.

2.     Students will explore how secondary colors are created.

3.     Students will develop artistic vocabulary.

4.     Students will engage in the critique process.

5.     Students will practice language arts.

(e)   Correlated Objectives: This lesson has interdisciplinary links with language arts through implementation of descriptive sentences. Students will construct a sentence of what images they see within their prints, and write the sentence on the back. This exploration of language arts helps to further develop the student’s vocabulary, and visual relationships.

MATERIALS: white-construction paper, tempera paint, black sharpie, pencil, eraser

PROCEDURE:

Session 1

1.     Teacher dialogues with class.

2.     Discuss primary and secondary colors.

3.     Dialogue explorative possibilities and correct technique of materials.

4.     Distribute materials.

Session 2

1.     Review previous concepts.

2.     Distribute prints.

3.     Dialogue visual possibilities within the various prints.

4.     Engage students in positive critique and dialogue.

5.     Distribute sharpies.

Session 3

1.     Review from previous week

2.     Distribute sharpies.

3.     Dialogue visual possibilities.

4.     Construct sentences starting with “I can see…”

5.     Critique the various results.

MOTIVATIONAL DIALOGUE:

(a)  Motivational Theme: Did you know that we can make a print with paint using only one piece of paper? We can use primary colors to create a magical print that could turn out to be anything! Who wants to see how we can make magic in the art room?!

(b)  Association Dialogue:

How many colors make up the primary colors?

What are the primary colors?

What are the secondary colors? What colors make purple?green?orange?

Who knows what a print is or an example of printmaking?

Can we write a sentence of what we see?

(c)   Visualization Dialogue

Do you see anything in your prints? Animals?faces?shapes?

I see so many different things in everyone’s prints!

Can you draw what you see using the sharpie?

Does the texture of the paint remind you of anything?

Do you see something different when you flip your print upside down?

Does anyone see an image in anyone else’s print?

REFLECTIVE DISCUSSIONS:

(a)   Reflect on student work – formalistic/aesthetic

Students will hold up their artwork. Each student will briefly describe the images that have magically formed, and present their sentence. Students will compare each print looking for commonalities and differences in developed images and secondary color creations.

Reflective Dialogue:

1.     How was it that we were able to create a print?

2.     What were the primary colors we used?

3.     What colors did we accidently make when we put colors close together?

4.     Can someone point out a secondary color?

5.     Do you see any specific shapes in any other student’s print?

6.     What types of images were you able to find in your prints?

7.     Does your print tell a story?

POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP LESSON: This lesson could serve as part of a unit focused on developing sentence structure from things that are viewed in abstract art. Students could create sentences, or a story from a picture that they have created. Students could also develop descriptive words to help describe what they see in various abstract pieces of artwork.