WVSU LESSON PLAN FORMAT GUIDE (Updated 1/13)

Teacher Candidate: Jenna Criner

School: Kanawha City Elementary
Lesson Topic: Leaf Prints

Date: 9/19/15
th
Grade/Subject: 5 Grade Art

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES/ STUDENT OUTCOMES

Students will paint a background for their leaf prints using neighboring colors, and they will blend the colors to
create a gradation. Students will effectively use the elements of art when printing their leaves on these
backgrounds.
WV CSOs
VA.O.5.2.04 create artwork reflecting knowledge of color theory; i.e., using primary, secondary,
intermediate/tertiary, tints, shades, tones (neutrals), warm and cool, and monochromatic color scheme.
VA.O.5.2.01 recognize the elements of art: value, line, shape/form, color, texture, and space.
VA.O.5.2.10 recognize the principles of design- rhythm/movement, repetition/pattern, balance, unity/harmony,
dominance/emphasis, contrast/variety, proportion/scale.
NATIONAL STANDARDS
Content Standard 1:
5-8 Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and
processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas.
Content Standard 3:
5-8 Students explore and understand prospective content for works of art.
MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK
Day 1:
5 minute introduction/demo on blending paint and creating a graduation of value on the page.
5 minute pre-test
25 minute work on projects
5 minute clean-up
Day 2:
5 minute demo on printing the leaves
30 minute finish projects
5 minute clean-up
Note: More days will be added if students have not finished their work.
STRATEGIES
Project-based learning, discussion, teacher demonstration
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION/ ADAPTATIONS/ INTERVENTIONS
I will work one-on-one to assist students with learning disabilities. Accelerated learners can add multiple layers to
their prints. I will demonstrate how to do the project step-by-step so that students with attention differences can
easily follow along.
PROCEDURES

Introduction/ Lesson Set

Ask students if they have a tree in their backyard, and ask them if theyve ever played in the leaves after the leaves
have fallen off of the trees during autumn. Explain what project the students will be doing and give them the pretest to complete. Explain and do a demonstration of the printmaking process that the students will be doing.
Body & Transitions
Students will first paint the background using acrylic paint. Then, students will paint the leaves, put the painted
side facing down on the paper, and apply pressure by rolling a roller back and forth over the leaf. This ensures that
the paint will come out evenly on the paper, and there wont be any smudges. I will move around the classroom
and assist students by giving them more paint, help them if they are struggling, etc.
Closure
Students will put their work on the drying rack to dry. I will quiz students on what they learned and review
concepts.

ASSESSMENT

Diagnostic: I will hand a quiz out to students (see attached).

Formative: I will walk amongst students and see who is grasping the content and who isnt, and I will assist those
who need extra help.

Summative: I will assess student-learning by grading the projects using a rubric. At the end of the lesson, I will
quiz students on the same questions that were on the pre-test. This test will be done orally, and I will ask for a
show of hands.

MATERIALS
Brayers
Acrylic paint
Leaves
Paper
Paint-brushes
EXTENDED ACTIVITIES
If Student Finishes Early
If a student finishes early, they can make another print using feathers instead.
If Lesson Finishes Early
If the lesson finishes early, students can make prints using other objects, such as feathers.
POST-TEACHING
Reflections
There were only thirteen students in this class, so transitions ran very smooth. Because the cooperating
teacher doesnt have her own classroom, she has to go in the students regular classroom, so this class didnt have
any art posters (the color wheel, elements of art, how to blend paint, etc.) on the walls. I drew a color wheel on

the board when I explained to the students what colors they needed to use, but several of the students still didnt
understand, and I think that was because I had to write out the colors since I didnt have different colored markers
to use to visually show the colors to the students. Next time, I will make sure I have a print-out of a color wheel
that I can reference, or I will make a large color wheel poster so that students can easily see it. Although some of
the classrooms have a projector in them, this one didnt, so making a large poster would be the best idea. Several
students didnt know which primary colors should be mixed together to get secondary colors, so I had a discussion
with the students about this before I asked them which colors are neighboring colors. The teacher demonstration
helped the students visualize what it was that they needed to do. However, I noticed that several students
struggled with blending their different colors together to create smooth transitions, but this occurred because
their paint was drying too quickly on their papers, thus making it impossible to blend. Next time, I would do
research on which acrylic paints that are a good quality are the cheapest because this really hindered students
learning.
Overall, the class was excellent when they printed their leaves. After I demonstrated on how to print the
leaves, my cooperating teacher said that it would be a good idea for them to practice printing one time on a scrap
sheet of paper. I think that this really helped the students a lot because most of the students didnt put too little
or too much paint on their leaves when they printed them on their big piece of paper. One thing that I noticed
that was really problematic was that students got paint on their rollers, and it got onto their papers. For some
students, the added texture that was around the leaves because of the paint that was on the rollers made their
artwork look more interesting, but there was one girl who had way too much of that on her paper, and she used
too much paint on her leaves too. She did a good job when she painted her background; printing the leaves just
wasnt something she was good at. I would have had her practice printing more on her scrap sheet of paper so
that she could have built up the skills that she needed to make a good print.
Data Based Decision Making
Pre-test
Number of Students Who
Received 0/3

Number of Students Who

Received 1/3

Number of Students Who

Received 2/3

Number of Students Who

Received 3/3

Post-test
Number of Students Who
Received 0/3

Number of Students Who

Received 1/3

Number of Students Who

Received 2/3

Number of Students Who

Received 3/3

Project Grades

Percentage Grade

100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2

5
Number of Students

Overall

When I reviewed the question on the pre-test that asked which colors are neighboring colors, five of the
students picked C. I explained to them that these colors are actually secondary colors. Several of the students
seemed confused about which primary colors can be mixed to make secondary colors, so I spent more time
reviewing primary and secondary colors since they need to know about them before they can move on to
neighboring colors. Most of the class didnt understand what contrast meant, so I wrote the word on the board
and explained to them what it meant, and I also showed them examples of leaf prints that I did, in which the leaf
was contrasting against the background. There were only a few students who didnt know exactly why the leaves
change colors in the fall, so I didnt spend much time reviewing that concept. Based on how well the students did
on the quiz, I would have definitely reviewed color theory more by having each student create a color wheel and
labelling the relationships between colors (primary, secondary, intermediate, complementary, analogous, etc.).
Children are more likely to retain knowledge when they write/draw something out themselves, and several of the
student missed the question that asked which colors were neighboring colors.
I decided that since the students were using paint that dried almost instantly, I didnt grade them on how
smooth the transitions were between colors because the students only had 40 minutes to complete this project, so
they didnt have enough time to go back and add paint to those areas and blend it. After the students completely
finished their projects, I graded each project on a rubric. Two students scored 80%, four students scored 85%, five
students scored 90%, and two students scored 100%. More than half of the class scored 0 or 1 point on the last
criteria of the rubric because they didnt print enough leaves on their paper. Since the majority of the class didnt
finish, they should be given extra time to finish their projects next week. Students who have already finished their
projects can work on the extended activity.

Examples of Finished Project:

Name:

Quiz
Directions: Circle the letter of the answer that is the best choice.
1. Which colors are neighboring colors?
A. blue, yellow, red
B. red, red-orange, orange
C. violet, orange, green
2. What makes the leaves change colors during fall?
A. The weather gets colder.
B. The leaves arent getting enough water.
C. The leaves do not make as much chlorophyll because the days get shorter.
3. Which colored circle stands out the best from the square background?
A.

B.

C.

Rubric for Project 1

Students Name

3 points
1. The leaves did not
blend in with the
background. I can see
them.

2. The students work is

neat. There are no
streaks, the paint is
blended well, and there
are no splotches or
smudges on the leaves.
3. The student used
neighboring colors (ex:
yellow-orange, orange,
red-orange) for their
background. The student
blended in colors for their
background. The colors
didnt look muddy. Black
or white can also be used
for the color of the leaves.
4. The student printed at
least nine leaves. Some
leaves go off of the page.

Grade

2 points
The leaves did not
blend in with the
background, but
the student could
have used colors
that contrast
better. Ex:
yellow-orange
against black,
yellow against red,
white against
turquoise.
There were paint
splotches, streaks,
and or smudges in
one or two areas.

1 points
Dark colors or
light colors were
used for both the
leaves and the
background. Not
enough contrast
was used.

0 point
I couldnt see
the leaves at all.

There were paint

splotches,
streaks, and or
smudges in more
than two areas.

There were
streaks,
splotches, and
smudges
everywhere.

The student used

neighboring colors,
but they didnt
blend colors for
their background
well- the
transitions
between two of the
colors were rough.

The student used

two neighboring
colors, but they
didnt blend any
of their colors.

The student
didnt use
neighboring
colors, and they
didnt blend their
colors.

The student
printed 6-8 leaves.

The student
printed 5 leaves.

The student
printed less than
5 leaves.

Total Points Possible: 12 points

Comments:

Date