Fourth graders explore the color wheel to see how every color comes from a few, learning primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, warm and cool families, and complementary pairs.
Students will be able to…
From just three colors, an artist can mix nearly any other. What is the color wheel, and how does it show the way colors relate?
Project this and open each card to explore the color wheel, from primary colors to complementary pairs.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
With just three colors, an artist can mix almost any other. How does the color wheel show the way colors relate?
Students explore the parts of the color wheel.
Students mix secondary colors.
Students build a color wheel.
Students reflect on the color wheel.
Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Visual Arts).
Brainstorm multiple approaches to an art-making problem.
Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches.
Analyze components in visual imagery that convey meaning.
Collaboratively set goals and create artwork.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students start with the three primaries, mix the secondaries between them, and label warm and cool, so the color wheel becomes something they build. A printable color-wheel worksheet is in The Arts library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.