SESSION 1 ¿WHAT IS THE COLOUR?

Activity 1
Write answers for the following questions in your notebook:
1- What colour is the sky?
2- Do all the animals see objects in the same colour?
3- Is the colour a characteristic of objects, a characteristic of light or a characteristic of
the person who is observing something?
4- Write the names of 10 colours.

Activity 2
Work in pairs. Talk to your partner about the answers you wrote.

Activity 3
You are going to learn about the concept of the visual perception of colours. Please take
notes in your notebook.
The visual perception of colours is a natural process that is

produced when we see the colours in our environment and we can

identify its elements according to their colours.
There are some elements in this process which are:

light
human eye
brain
LIGHT

1- Light is an electromagnetic radiation which can be captured by the

human eye. In nature there are many waves we use but we do not see.
The set of waves that are between the infrared rays and the ultraviolet
rays is called spectrum of light, and the sum of all of the waves is the
white light.
LIGHT

1A- Diffusion. We can see the spectrum of light in a natural way inside the
rainbow. When light falls on water drops it is diffused and we can see a strip
of colours ordered according to their energy. We traditionally distinguish 7
colours: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and violet.
LIGHT

1B- Reflection. We can see the coloured objects because light falls on their
surface and interacts with them. A part of light is absorbed and the other is
reflected, which is the one we see.

SUN RADIATION SUN RADIATION NO REFLECTION

ALL COLOURS YELLOW RADIATION ALL COLOURS OF SUN ENERGY

OPTICAL SENSATION OF THE BLACK COLOUR

HUMAN EYE

2- The human eye can receive the waves of light and convert them into
nervous impulses. In this process the cones take part. They consist of 7
million of cells in the shape of cones located in the retina which have opsina, a
substance sensitive to light. As there are 3 types of cones we can distinguish 3
different levels of waves: red (560 nanometres), green (530) and blue (430).
BRAIN

1- The brain is the organ which does the vision process. The occipital lobe is
in charge of interpreting the 3 nervous signals and produces the colour
sensation.

Occipital Lobes
Activity 4

Copy and answer the following questions. Ask your teacher in case you might need
some help.

1- Why do we see objects in different colours?

2- Which are the elements that take part in the perception of colour?
3- What is the difference between ‘seeing’ and ‘perceiving’?
4- What natural process teaches us that the white light can be separated in coloured
lights? Explain it.
5- What happens inside our eyes that a wave of light in transformed into a nervous
impulse?
6- What colours can we find in the rainbow? Draw the diagram of dispersion of the light.
7- What is the reflection? Explain the difference between a green object and a white
object.
8- Draw the diagram of the visual perception of a lemon.
 SESSION 2 WORKING WITH COLOURS

Activity 1
1- Have you ever worked with colours?
2- Have you ever mixed colours with temperas, watercolors or colourful waxes?

Activity 2
You are going to learn about types of colours, pigment colours and their classification
according to the way they are mixed.
Take notes in your notebook.
1- Types of colours

COLOURS OF LIGHT

There are 2 types of colours: the colours of light that come directly from a focus and the
colours formed with reflected light that are called pigment colours.

The colours of light are used on television screens, computers, mobile phones,
projectors and focus of colours. The basic colours are red, green and blue. The sum of
all the colours of light is white because energy is added when they are mixed. That is
why the colours of light are called additives.
1- Types of colours

PIGMENT COLOUR

The pigment colours also called matter colours are the most common colours, and
we use them when we paint with crayons, temperas, watercolors, oils or acrylic
paints. Tha basic colours are yellow, magenta and cyan. As the colour of paints is
reflected light, when we mix them we obtain less energy. That is the reason why the
mixing of all the pigment colours is black, because it does not reflect light. The
mixings among pigment colours implies subtraction.
2- Classification

A- Colours are classified according to the way they are mixed:

1- Primary colours - Magenta, yellow and cyan.
They are the basic colours and cannot be obtained by mixing them.

YELLOW MAGENTA CYAN

2- Secondary colours – Green, blue, blue-violet and red.

They are obtained by mixing two primary colours in identical parts.
3- Tertiary colours – They are obtained by mixing a primary colour
and a secondary colour. It is 75% of a primary colour and 25% of a
secondary colour.
Orange = Yellow + Red
Crimson red (carmine) = Magenta + Red
Maroon = Magenta + Violet
Navy blue (dark)= Violet + Cyan
Bluish green = Cyan + Green
Yellowish green (greenish yellow)= Yellow + Green

4- Quaternary colours – They aret he result of mixing 2 secondary

colours. For example brown colours.
2- Classiffication

B- The chromatic circle

The chromatic circle is a way of clasiffying colours in a clear, simple and useful way. We
divide the circle in equal parts, we put the primary colours forming a triangle and we
place the secondary colours opposite the primary colours. Finally, we put the tertiary
colours among the colours that originate them.
3- Codification of colours.

To identify a colour in order to reproduce it exactly we use the codification. It consists of

assigning a number of 3 ciphers to each colour. The first cipher is the quantity of yellow
from 0 to 9, the second cipher is the quantity of magenta and the third cipher is related
to cyan.

Yellow = 900

Magenta = 090

Cyan = 009

Black = 999

White = 000

Half grey = 555

Activity 3

1- Complete the sentences related to the pigment colour::

The sum of ..................... colours implies subtraction.

The red colour is obtained by mixing yellow and ..................
The primary colours are yellow, magenta and ................
By mixing cyan and green we obtain ....................
A tertiary colour is obtained by a ................. colour and a secondary colour.
The sum of all the colours is the ................. colour.

2- Draw the arrows that relate the colours and their mixings:

Orange Yellow
Crimson red (Carmine) Red
Maroon Cyan
Navy blue (dark) Violet
Bluish green Green
Yellowish green (Greenish yellow) Magenta
3- Paint the circle with the appropriate colour.

bluish green magenta navy blue cyan

4- Paint the chromatic circle with 12 colours and write the name of each of
them.
Activity 4 The colour game

Look at the colours and their names for 30 seconds. Then write as many colours as
you can remember in just one minute.
 SESSION 3 CREATIVITY and the CHROMATIC circle

Activity 1

(8 min.) Work in pairs. Write in your notebook the codification of the 12 colours in the
chromatic circle. Then say your answers aloud.

Activity 2

(8 min.) The whole group. The class is divided into 2 groups. Each group thinks and
writes 12 objects, their colours and their codification. A student of each group writes
on the blackboard the name of an object and its colour. A student of the opposite
group has to write on the blackboard the right codification according to the
instructions given by his/her group. At the end of the activity the teacher will correct
their mistakes and will make comments about them.
Activity 3
(26 min.) Individual work on paper size A-4.
After seeing the images shown on the blackboard each student has to create the
chromatic circle. In order to do that you can use crayons and then the images will be
shaped in ink. Any problem arising from the activity will be solved individually.
The most useful or important sentences, as well as the necessary or new words, will
be written on the blackboard during the lesson.
Activity 4
(8 min.): Oral activity.
Each student thinks of a colour chosen among the 12 basic colours. In
turn each student chooses a partner and asks him/her about the
classification of the colour (primary, secondary or tertiary), and also about
the mixture of colours which originates the chosen colour. Those students
who do not know the answers are eliminated. The students continue
playing the game until only two students remain and the others have been
eliminated.
 SESSION 4 QUALITIES of a COLOUR

Activity 1
(5 min.): Complementary colours. This is an oral activity to reinforce the vocabulary
studied and to exercise the students’ memory.
You have to say a colour and your partner has to saythe opposite colour in the
chromatic circle, but you must know that the mixture of two complementary colours
ist the black colour.

Activity 2
(25 min.): Finish the work you started last session and hand it in to your teacher.

Activity 3
(20 min.). Your teacher is going to explain the qualities of colours. In order to do that
the following Power Point is used:
1- Qualities of colours

There are three characteristics which define each colour.

A- Shade

B- Saturation

C- Luminosity
A- Shade It is the name of a colour and it depends directly on the length of its
wave.

shade of red shade of green shade of green

B- Saturation It is the degree of purity of a colour. We can change the saturation by

adding white, diluting the colour or increasing its transparency.

slightly saturated cyan very saturated orange slightly saturated orange

C- Luminosity It is the amount of white light that the colour reflects. It is modified by
adding black and so making it darker.

slightly luminous blue slightly luminous yellow luminous yellow

 2- Modulation

When we change some characteristic of a colour it is said we modulate its

colour.

In this table we can see 6 different shades of colours and how each one
changes in its saturation (it loses intensity) and luminosity (it gets darker).
 Session 5: Psychology of the colour

Activity 1

(10 min.) Answer the following question: What is your favourite colour?

Explain your choice briefly.

Think of all colours you can find in the different products of a shopping
centre. Write a list with the brand names of some products and the
colour of their packagings.

Activity 2

(15 min.) Your teacher is going to show some information through Power
Point presentations. Please take notes and participate with examples. You can
also add more concepts if you wish.
1- Psychology of the colour

The psychology of the colour studies the emotional reaction that colours
provoke on people. In a natural way each colour produces a certain emotion
(red-heat, blue-cold). Moreover, each culture interprets colours in different
ways. For example, the colour black can represent sadness, smartness or
richness.

Colours are communicative and necessary

elements in the fields of design and advertising.
Heat, fire, happiness, revolution, danger, prohibition.

Religiousness, experience, maturity, pain.

Coolness, wisdom, safety, cleanliness, tranquility.

Youth, hope, nature, future, spring.

Purity, innocence, peace, ignorance.

Mourning, sadness, negation, smartness.

Calmness, warmth, autumn, seriousness.

Rest or no feeling at all.

 Activity 3

(25 min.) You have to do the following activities.

1- Match the concepts with the colours.

Danger orange
childhood green
sadness pink
precaution blue
innocence magenta
calmness black
youth red
richness white
2- Colour the images choosing colours according to the sensation you
want to cause. Then explain your choice writing a short paragraph.
 Session 6 - Expressing feelings with colours.
Activity 1
Look at the 4 images of the forest carefully. Do they transmit the same sensation?

What image would you associate the following words to?

hope, sadness, danger, tranquility, wisdom, freshness, passion, youth, elegance
Activity 1
(50 min.) You have to do a project using different shades of colours and you also have to analyse the
different sensations colours produce.
Draw four squares having 80 millimetres each side on a sheet with size A4. You have to do the same
composition with each of the squares. Choose 4 shades of colours and colour the squares. You have to
write the sensations produced by those colours at the back of the sheet. Use the different techniques
studied in the classroom: modulation and textures of a colour, complementary colours, harmonic colours,
cold colours and warm colours.
Your the teacher will help you individually solving possible doubts of the didactic unit, detecting and
resolving specific difficulties you may have, since this will help your teacher to evaluate your attitude and
skills performance.
 Session 7 Evaluation
Activity 1
(40 min.) Contents evaluations. Do the following questionnaire.

1. Why can we see objects in colours? Draw and explain the diagram of vision of colour of a
lemon.
2. What is the chromatic circle? Why is it used or? Draw the chromatic circle and write the
names of the different colours.
3. Write the names of the tertiary colours and the mixtures we can get from them.
4. Draw the same element in two squares with sides of 80 milimitres. Colour the first square
using shades of colours that express coldnes and seriousness, and colour the second square
with colours that express freshness and vitality.
5. What are the values of a colour? How are they modified? Write the values of a strawberry, the
blackboard and the sand of the beach.
Activity 2
(10 min) Evaluation of the project.

1. Answer the following question choosing one of the options below:

What do you think about having lessons of English and Plastic and Visual Education at the same time?
Explain briefly your choice.
useless / useful
boring / funny
difficult / easy
nonsensical / interesting

2. What aspects should be improved?

3. Do you think your level of English has improved?

4. Write the name of a school subject you would like to learn in English, and another you would not like
to study in English. Justify your answer.

5. Assess the following items using numbers from 1 to 5. Number 5 shows the most interesting item to you.
Power Point presentation
Oral activities
Written activities
Practical activities

6. Write other activities you would like to have done.