A COLOR OF OUR OWN
Kindergarten Chameleons
A Color of Our Own: Kindergarten
Relationship to the Unit: The first lesson of this unit introduces the artist Leo Lionni as both an author and illustrator. The book “A Color of His Own” addresses chameleons and their ability to camouflage with their surroundings in order to protect themselves from danger. It also presents watercolor paintings in the form of Lionni’s illustrations. An analysis of all the places in which the chameleon in the story camouflaged prompts students to consider where they would go if they were a chameleon in order to blend into their surroundings. Students learn how to draw a chameleon in the style of Leo Lionni using simple shapes, with careful consideration of the size of their chameleon and composition, and are given class time to begin chameleon drawings that will become watercolor paintings.
Relationship to Life:
Problem/ Activity Statement: Discuss and analyze the ways in which Leo Lionni’s watercolor illustrations effectively camouflage the chameleon. Practice using shapes to create the form of the chameleon similarly to the way Lionni did. Carefully considering composition and size of the chameleon, plan and design a specific spot for the chameleon to camouflage with.
Goals: Students should...
Understand: How to identify simple shapes for different sizes and forms in the environment and in artwork (MACF Standard 2.4)
Know: How to use appropriate vocabulary related to methods, materials, and techniques (MACF Standard 1.3)
Be able to: Explore composition by creating artwork with a center of interest, repetition and/or balance (MACF Standard 2.6)
Objective(s):
Instructional Concepts:
Quotes from artists and theorists:
Motivation: The teacher reads the story “A Color of His Own” by Lionni. Students participate by sharing their ideas on where they would camouflage if they were a chameleon. Students help the teacher draw a chameleon like Lionni by informing the class what shapes they see that make up the chameleon. Students have the opportunity to make a watercolor painting of a chameleon that camouflages in a place of their choosing.
Topic Questions: About the artwork/exemplars/medium
Association Questions: What you already know - associate with what they know
Visualization Questions:
Transition Questions:
Closure: Students are reminded of where they should be with their drawings after one day of working. They should have a complete drawing of their chameleon. There is a brief discussion in which the teacher tells the students what to expect during the next class. During the next lesson students will begin watercolor painting in order to camouflage their chameleon.
Relationship to the Unit: The first lesson of this unit introduces the artist Leo Lionni as both an author and illustrator. The book “A Color of His Own” addresses chameleons and their ability to camouflage with their surroundings in order to protect themselves from danger. It also presents watercolor paintings in the form of Lionni’s illustrations. An analysis of all the places in which the chameleon in the story camouflaged prompts students to consider where they would go if they were a chameleon in order to blend into their surroundings. Students learn how to draw a chameleon in the style of Leo Lionni using simple shapes, with careful consideration of the size of their chameleon and composition, and are given class time to begin chameleon drawings that will become watercolor paintings.
Relationship to Life:
- Instructional Importance: Leo Lionni’s illustrations reflect the art of watercolor painting as well as the science of the chameleon’s characteristic ability to camouflage. Engaging students in a discussion about the different places that the chameleon character in the book camouflaged will help students plan their own drawing. Additionally, a demonstration on how to draw a chameleon in the style of Lionni as well as a review of composition will help students begin drawing.
- Developmental Needs: During the Early Symbol Making Stage, students are developing and expanding their visual vocabulary. Children give little attention to the development of spatial understanding or realistic use of color, and objects in the picture plane often float in space without a baseline. Introducing them to the concept of composition by experimenting with the size of the chameleon and where it is placed on the page will help children with this. Children are beginning to select more realistic color during this stage and indications of background and spatial organization appear. Giving students the opportunity to design a place for the chameleon to camouflage with will allow them experiment with color and background.
Problem/ Activity Statement: Discuss and analyze the ways in which Leo Lionni’s watercolor illustrations effectively camouflage the chameleon. Practice using shapes to create the form of the chameleon similarly to the way Lionni did. Carefully considering composition and size of the chameleon, plan and design a specific spot for the chameleon to camouflage with.
Goals: Students should...
Understand: How to identify simple shapes for different sizes and forms in the environment and in artwork (MACF Standard 2.4)
Know: How to use appropriate vocabulary related to methods, materials, and techniques (MACF Standard 1.3)
Be able to: Explore composition by creating artwork with a center of interest, repetition and/or balance (MACF Standard 2.6)
Objective(s):
- Demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which chameleons camouflage with their surroundings in order to protect themselves from danger.
- Analyze and apply the ways in which Lionni uses watercolor paint to show how and where the chameleon camouflaged.
- Identify the shapes and forms that were used to draw the chameleon as well as the compositional strategies in the illustrations.
- Use oil pastels to complete a drawing of a chameleon in the style of Lionni that camouflages with a setting of your choice.
Instructional Concepts:
Quotes from artists and theorists:
- “The sad chameleon has a problem - unlike all the other animals, he has no color of his own. Changing wherever he goes, he turns red with the autumn leaves and black in the long dark winter. But in the spring, in the green grass, he finds a delightful solution."
Motivation: The teacher reads the story “A Color of His Own” by Lionni. Students participate by sharing their ideas on where they would camouflage if they were a chameleon. Students help the teacher draw a chameleon like Lionni by informing the class what shapes they see that make up the chameleon. Students have the opportunity to make a watercolor painting of a chameleon that camouflages in a place of their choosing.
Topic Questions: About the artwork/exemplars/medium
- What kind of materials do you think Lionni used for his illustrations?
- What kind of paint did he use?
- How does the use of watercolor paint help show that the chameleon is camouflaging?
- What kind of compositions does Lionni create? Are the chameleons small or large? Do they take up the whole page or just part of it?
Association Questions: What you already know - associate with what they know
- What is the job of an author? What is the job of the illustrator?
- Can the author and the illustrator be the same person?
- What do you know about chameleons?
- What type of talent or special power does the chameleon have?
- Why does the chameleon camouflage with its surroundings?
Visualization Questions:
- What would a chameleon on a school bus look like?
- What would a chameleon on a pumpkin look like?
- Would would a chameleon at Lincoln School look like?
Transition Questions:
- If you were a chameleon where would you go in order to blend into your surroundings?
- What would this place look like?
- What colors would you be if you were a chameleon? Would you be one color? Multiple colors? A pattern of colors?
- What size will your chameleon be? Will your chameleon take up the whole space or just a small part of it?
Closure: Students are reminded of where they should be with their drawings after one day of working. They should have a complete drawing of their chameleon. There is a brief discussion in which the teacher tells the students what to expect during the next class. During the next lesson students will begin watercolor painting in order to camouflage their chameleon.