Color Wheel Lab on Paper: Mixing Chart and Labeled Wheel

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Color Wheel Lab on Paper: Mixing Chart and
Labeled Wheel
Arts · Art · Grades 6-8 · 45 minutes
Time needed
45 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write the three vocabulary groups on the board
(see Before Class).
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone with quiet partner checks.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Colored pencils (optional), Whiteboard or chalkboard
Goal for today: Students will name primary, secondary and tertiary colors, predict the result of mixing two colors,
and draw a correctly labeled 12-part color wheel.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Write on the board: PRIMARY = red, yellow, blue. SECONDARY = orange, green, violet. TERTIARY = a primary
+ the secondary next to it (like yellow-green).
☐ Colored pencils are optional. If students have none, they can write the color name in each wedge instead of
coloring it.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. You do not need any art knowledge to run this lesson.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today is a color theory lesson, and it is all done on paper with pencils. You will fill in a color-mixing
chart, answer some questions, and then draw your own color wheel. If you do not have colored pencils, just write the
color name in each section. Neatness counts more than coloring, so take your time.

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Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance the way the school requires. Hand out the
worksheet face up.
Settle in, take out a pencil, and read the
word bank at the top.
5–10
Read the three lines on the board aloud. Say: “A color
wheel is a circle that shows how colors relate to each
other. Mixing two primaries gives a secondary. Mixing a
primary with its neighboring secondary gives a tertiary.”
Listen and look at the board. Ask questions
if a word is unclear.
10–20
Tell students to complete the Mixing Chart and questions
1–4. Walk the room. If a student is stuck, point to the board
and ask, “Which two colors are next to each other in this
row?”
Fill in the result of each mix, then fill in the
blanks for questions 1–4.
20–28
Tell students to complete questions 5–10 (matching and
multiple choice). Partners may whisper to compare
answers.
Match colors to their complements and
answer the multiple-choice questions.
28–41
Tell students to do question 11 (the color wheel drawing)
and question 12. Remind them to draw lightly in pencil
first. Walk the room and praise careful work.
Draw a circle, divide it into 12 wedges,
label each wedge, and color it if they have
colored pencils.
41–45
Collect all worksheets and stack them for the teacher.
Finish any labels, write their name on the
sheet, and hand it in.
If things go wrong
• If a student cannot divide a circle into 12 wedges, tell them to draw a plus sign first (4 parts), then split each
part into 3 with two more lines.
• If no one has colored pencils, say that labeling with color names is full credit.
• If a student says the red-yellow-blue wheel is “wrong” because of printer or screen colors, say that this lesson
uses the traditional art wheel for mixing paint and pencil colors.
• If a student finishes early, use the early finisher list. If the class is noisy, remind them this is quiet individual
work.
Early finishers
• Draw a small design (a flower, fish or building) using only two complementary colors. Label the colors you
chose.
• On the back, draw a row of 5 boxes that goes from a tint of blue to a shade of blue, and label the lightest and
darkest boxes.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students complete only the first six rows of the Mixing Chart and skip question 10. They may
copy the board vocabulary.
• Challenge: Ask students to add a ring of tints (a color plus white) around the outside of their wheel and label
it.

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Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: