Creating Colours

Grade 1
Science
By Jeni Rawson
 Table of Contents

Unit Organizer Page 3-4

Unit Rationale Page 3
Critical Questions Page 3
GLOs and SLOs Page 4
Assignments and Activities Page 4-6
Resources Page 6
Summative Assessment Page 7-13

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Unit: Creating Colours Teacher: Miss Jeni Rawson
Subject(s): Science Duration: TBD
Grade: 1 Class Size: 23 students
Rationale:
What Are Students Learning:
Students will be learning about what the primary colours are and how they can be
combined and mixed to create the secondary colours. Students will be able to identify
each primary colour, secondary colour, and what primary colours are needed to
create specific secondary colours. Students will: recognize colours as red, yellow, blue,
orange, green, and purple; print the colours in words; colour according to the colours
learned; mix colours to create new colours; and compare and contrast colours
learned.

How Are They Learning It:

Students will engage in a variety of hands-on activities. We will explore colours
through paint, food colouring, nature, food, etc. Picture books that explore colour will
also be incorporated throughout the unit. While this unit will be very hands-on for the
students, a few worksheets, such as recording sheets, will be incorporated in order to
have a paper copy of the student’s learning and understanding and for some
summative assessment.
Critical Questions
Essential Question:
What influence does colour have in my life?

Inquiry Questions:
What are the primary colours?
What are the secondary colours?
Which primary colours are required to create specific secondary colours?

General and Specific Learning Outcomes

Topic A: Creating Colours
GLO 1-5: Identify and evaluate methods for creating colour and for applying colours to
different materials.

SLO 1: Identify colours in a variety of natural and manufactured objects

SLO 2: Compare and contrast colours, using terms such as lighter than, darker than,
more blue, brighter than
SLO 3: Order a group of coloured objects, based on a given colour criterion
SLO 4: Predict and describe changes in colour that result from the mixing of primary
colours and from mixing a primary colour with white or with black
SLO 5: Create a colour that matches a given sample, by mixing the appropriate
amounts of two primary colours.

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 Assignments and Activities
 Worksheets – recording sheets, as well as worksheets that focus on the colour
learned will be used for practice and for summative assessment
 Picture books – a variety of colour-focused picture books will be read-aloud in
the class to increase student engagement and understanding of colours and
concepts
 Free Colouring – students will engage in free colouring activities or colour by
word activities (sponge activity, early finishers). I can ask students why they
may have chosen a specific colour for something that they colour.
 KWL Chart – students will engage in an on-going KWL chart to record what
they know, want to know, and what they learn about colours
 Tinted Sunglasses – an activity in which students will use transparent-coloured
paper to create sunglasses to see how objects they see change with and
without the coloured sunglasses. Students will overlap different colours to see
what colours they can create. A KWL chart will be made prior to activity to
predict and record their findings.
 Mixing Colours – an activity in which students will mix colours of paint
together to create new colours. A KWL chart will be made prior to activity to
predict and record their findings. Later students will mix black or white into
the colours to create shades.
 Scavenger Hunt – each student will be assigned a colour and they must find as
many things in and outside of the classroom that match that colour
 Listen & Colour – an interactive activity where students will be given a
colouring sheet and they are to listen to my directions as to what to colour in a
specific colour. This is a listening and comprehension activity, as well as an
assessment on colour knowledge.
 My Favourite Colour Collage – students will use pictures, magazine clippings,
drawings, etc. to create a collage of their favourite colour
 My Colour Bug Book – students will engage in an interactive colour book that
we will create together. Each page focuses on a different colour and enables
students to practice their writing skills.
 Cupcake Colour Recognition Centers – Various activities involving matching
like-coloured cupcakes to one another, matching the written word with its
colour (i.e. “red” matches with the red cupcake), students colour cupcakes to
match the coloured mat, etc.
 Surveys & Graphs – this activity is cross-curricular with math and our
Numbers: Formation & Recognition Unit. Students will engage in a variety of
surveys to gather information and will record said information on a graph.
These surveys will focus on favourite colour, hair colour, and eye colour
 Colours All Around – Group discussion/activity in which students discuss
objects in the world that are almost always a certain colour (strawberries are
almost always red, sky is almost always blue, grass is almost always green,
etc.)

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 Natural or Manufactured? – activity in which we discuss the difference
between natural and manufactured objects. A selection of everyday objects
will be incorporated to provide visual examples. As a class, we will make a t-
chart to categorize the objects.
 Shades of Colour – after class discussion about how colours can be lighter and
darker and have different shades, students will sort themselves into two
groups of “light coloured clothing” and “dark coloured clothing”, next, they
will sort themselves into more specific groups (light blue, dark red, etc.). A
worksheet will be provided after to better assess their understanding.
 Paint Chip Art – students will engage in an art activity in which they use paint
chips to create a picture. These paint chips help to demonstrate the different
shades of one colour
 I Have… Who Has? – game in which students have a card with two colours on
it. Another classmate must find their colour, and they must look for the
classmate with the other colour. (filler activity)
 Sorting Center – students will engage in a sorting activity in which they must
sort and organize a variety of objects by their colour
 Lightest to Darkest – an activity in which students glue pieces of paint chips in
order from lightest to darkest on a piece of paper. They may also use
magazines to find objects of varying shades and cut and glue those objects on
a piece of paper.
 Rainbow Milk Experiment – experiment in which students can observe the
primary colours mixing to creating new colours
 Modeling Clay Mixing – students will be given modeling clay in the primary
colours and will be required to mix them to create secondary colours
 Let’s Paint Shades – Students will use coloured paint, black paint, and white
paint to create different shades of paint
 Self-Assessment Checklist – students will participate in a self-assessment
checklist to determine their understanding of the concepts learned so far.
 Show What You Know – a summative assessment that covers an
understanding of colours, shades, and natural vs. manufactured objects (SLOs
1-5)
Resources
 Grade 1 Colour Science lesson from Smart Exchange
 Primary Colour Song: https://safeshare.tv/x/gYqaBTWcuE
 Colours Song 2: https://safeshare.tv/x/ss59641305e92cf
 The Colours Song: https://safeshare.tv/x/ss596414b1e786a
 Picture Books:
o My Many Coloured Days by Dr. Seuss
o Growing Colors by Bruce McMillan
o Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton
o Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
o Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean

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 o Colour Dance by Ann Jonas
o A Colour of His Own by Leo Lionni (cross-curricular with social studies)
o Who Said Red? By Mary Serfozo
o Cat’s Colors by Jane Cabrera
o The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
 Creating Colours Unit by Coreas Creations
 Cupcakes Color Recognition Centers and Games by KidSparkz

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 Summative Assessment
Desired Results
Established Goals – GLO(s):
Topic A: Creating Colours
GLO 1-5: Identify and evaluate methods for creating colour and for applying colours to
different materials.
Understandings: Essential Questions:
Students will understand… What influence does colour have in my
-Primary colours life?
-Secondary colours
-Shades of colours
-Natural vs. manufactured objects
Prior Understandings: SLO(s):
From Kindergarten… Students will be able to…
Not available as there is not a Program of SLO 1: Identify colours in a variety of
Studies made for science in Kindergarten. natural and manufactured objects
SLO 2: Compare and contrast colours,
using terms such as lighter than, darker
than, more blue, brighter than
SLO 3: Order a group of colours objects,
based on a given colour criterion
SLO 4: Predict and describe changes in
colour that result from the mixing of
primary colours and from mixing a
primary colour with white or with black
SLO 5: Create a colour that matches a
given sample, by mixing the appropriate
amounts of two primary colours.
Where does this lead? Pre-Assessment
From Grade Two… As there are no prior understandings I will
GLO 2-5: Describe some properties of not focus on pre-assessment for this unit.
water and other liquids, and recognize However, I will administer a quick
the importance of water to living and checklist that will determine if each
nonliving things student knows the basic colours already.
SLO 2: Compare water with one or more
other liquids, such as cooking oil, glycerin
or water mixed with liquid detergent.
Comparisons may be based on
characteristics, such as colour…

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 Assessments
Tinted Scavenger Listen & My Favourite A Colourful
Learning Title Worksheets
Sunglasses
Mixing Paint
Hunt Colour Color Collage Week Book
Outcomes Type Formative & Formative &
Formative Formative Formative Formative Summative
(Formative/Summative) Summative Summative
Weighting 0%, 25% 0% 0% 0% 0%, 10% 0% 10%
SLO 1: Identify colours in a
variety of natural and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
manufactured objects
SLO 2: Compare and contrast
colours, using terms such as
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
lighter than, darker than, more
blue, brighter than
SLO 3: Order a group of colours
objects, based on a given colour ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
criterion
SLO 4: Predict and describe
changes in colour that result
from the mixing of primary
✓ ✓ ✓
colours and from mixing a
primary colour with white or with
black
SLO 5: Create a colour that
matches a given sample, by
✓ ✓
mixing the appropriate amounts
of two primary colours.

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 Assessments
Cupcake Surveys & Colours All Natural or Shades of I Have… Who
Learning Title Centers Graphs Around Manufactured? Colour
Paint Chip Art
Has?
Outcomes Type Formative &
Formative Formative Formative Formative Formative Formative
(Formative/Summative) Summative
Weighting 0% 0%, 10% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
SLO 1: Identify colours in a
variety of natural and ✓ ✓ ✓
manufactured objects
SLO 2: Compare and contrast
colours, using terms such as
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
lighter than, darker than, more
blue, brighter than
SLO 3: Order a group of colours
objects, based on a given colour ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
criterion
SLO 4: Predict and describe
changes in colour that result
from the mixing of primary
colours and from mixing a
primary colour with white or with
black
SLO 5: Create a colour that
matches a given sample, by
mixing the appropriate amounts
of two primary colours.

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 Assessments
Self-
Sorting Lightest to Rainbow Milk Modeling Let’s Paint Show What
Learning Title Center Darkest Experiment Clay Mixing Shades
Assessment
You Know
Checklist
Outcomes
Type Formative Formative Formative Formative Summative Summative Summative
(Formative/Summative)

Weighting 0% 0% 0% 0% 10% 5% 30%

SLO 1: Identify colours in a
variety of natural and ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
manufactured objects
SLO 2: Compare and contrast
colours, using terms such as
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
lighter than, darker than, more
blue, brighter than
SLO 3: Order a group of colours
objects, based on a given colour ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
criterion
SLO 4: Predict and describe
changes in colour that result
from the mixing of primary
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
colours and from mixing a
primary colour with white or with
black
SLO 5: Create a colour that
matches a given sample, by
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
mixing the appropriate amounts
of two primary colours.

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Assessment Tool Overview
Assessment
Assessment Assessment
Assessment Tool Brief Description FOR
AS Learning OF Learning
Learning

Various worksheets that correspond

Worksheets with particular lessons and assess  ✓ 
specific knowledge

Assesses students’ understanding of

Tinted Sunglasses how colour changes their world and how ✓
colours change when you mix them

Assesses students’ understanding of

Mixing Colours mixing primary colours to get secondary ✓
colours

Assesses students’ ability to match like

Scavenger Hunt colours in the natural and manufactured ✓
worlds

Assesses students’ ability to listen and

Listen & Colour comprehend directions, as well as their ✓ ✓
knowledge on colour names

Assesses students’ understanding of

My Favourite
matching like colours in the natural and ✓
Colour Collage
manufactured worlds

Assesses students understanding of

A Colourful Week
colours, colour names, and real-world
Book ✓
connections to the material we’re
learning

Cupcake Colour Assesses students’ ability to compare

Recognition and contrast colours, and order them ✓
Centers accordingly

Assesses students’ ability to identify

Surveys & Graphs ✓ ✓
colours and order them accordingly

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 Assesses students’ ability to identify
Colours All
colours in the natural and manufactured ✓
Around
world

Assesses students’ understanding of

Natural or
natural vs. manufactured objects and ✓
Manufactured?
ordering them accordingly

Assesses students’ understanding of the

concept of shades in colours, their
Shades of Colour ✓
ability to compare and contrast said
colours, and order them accordingly

Assesses students’ understanding of

Paint Chip Art compare and contrasting colours and ✓
their shades

Assesses students’ understanding of

I Have… Who
shades, identifying colours, and ✓
Has?
matching them

Assesses students’ ability to identify

Sorting Center colours, compare and contrast them, ✓
and order them

Assesses students’ ability to identify

Lightest to
colours, shades, and order them from ✓
Darkest
lightest to darkest

Assesses students’ ability to predict and

Rainbow Milk describe changes from mixing primary
✓
Experiment colours, as well as, creating colours that
matches a given sample
Assesses students’ ability to predict and
Modeling Clay describe changes from mixing primary
✓
Mixing colours, as well as, creating colours that
matches a given sample
Assesses students’ ability to identify
colours, mix primary to make secondary,
Let’s Paint Shades and to create shades using black and ✓
white, as well as, creating specific
colours that matches a given sample

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 Assesses all concepts that students’
Self-Assessment have learned throughout the unit and
✓ ✓
Checklist provides them the opportunity to assess
themselves

Show What You Assesses all concepts that students’

✓
Know have learned throughout the unit

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