In Dallas ISD teachers need to identify a student learning objective to go towards their TEI pie-(Teacher Excellence Initiative).
For the 2015-16 school year I wanted my students to transition from thinking of the three warm and three cool colors to the three primary colors and the three secondary colors: the same six colors can be grouped two ways.
While the warm and cool is helpful for showing feelings/mood in artwork, the three primary colors can be mixed to make the three secondary colors-and yes, tertiary colors as well, but this is elementary school.
I made these bottles with colored lamp oil and colored water.
Dallas ISD wants outgoing 5th graders to know this information and I would already be working with them since they had an ART ACP test to take both semesters-again part of a teacher's TEI pie.
I gave the beginning of the year assessment to all third graders and then selected 30 to grow at least 15% in their understanding. (All the students were Bilingual.)
As the year progressed we learned about color through songs, videos and hands on activities meant to show how we can mix the three primary colors to get other colors-particularly the secondary colors.
The children of all ages loved shaking them and then watching the separation.
I am delighted to report that at the end of year assessment 84% had reached a 15% increase in identifying the colors as primary and secondary and which colors mixed to make each secondary color! And among the remaining 16% they all passed with at least 70% comprehension.
And the schoolchildren were so excited to see their progress as well!
