Sunday, March 16, 2014

Complementary Color Bingo

Ahh, Spring Break!  Time to write a blog post!  I came up with this idea and it has been SO successful!  I tried it with 3rd graders--who loved it the best.  This also proved as a good review of line qualities: horizontal, diagonal and vertical line qualities.

Complementary Color Bingo

Materials needed:  1 inch grid (pre-printed) paper  (manila or white)
                            ** 1 set of markers in red, green, blue, orange,
                                 yellow and violet (for each student)
                             Color wheels
                             Whiteboard
                              Expo Markers in same colors as markers
                             Completed Example

Procedures:

Review or teach horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines.  I have the students use the markers or their hands to demonstrate vertical (like climbing a ladder), horizontal (like the sun coming up) and diagonal (like going up a hill) with me as I show the directions the lines go.  We do this several times so they know which is which. I tell them they need to know vertical, diagonal and horizontal to do the project today.

Using the color wheel, I show them that any color across the wheel from each other is a complementary color.  "They are pairs of colors that go together really well; they are like good friends."  The most common complementary color pairs are red/green; blue/orange; and yellow/violet.  I have the students associate red and green with Christmas; blue and orange with Halloween; and yellow and violet with Spring or Easter. 

Next, I show them a grid pre-drawn on the white board, and the Expo Markers (set up on the rail of the whiteboard)  in the complementary color pairs.  Then I explain that we are going to play complementary color bingo.  Like real bingo, the way to win is horizontally, diagonally and/or vertically.  However, they must have 4, not 3 together to win.  

How to play:  (I demonstrate how to play first  on the whiteboard so they understand it.) Next, students are put into teams of two.  Each student is given one set of markers.  Team partners decide who will begin first.   Partner A chooses a color from their set of markers, to fill in one of the grid squares.  For example:  Red.  Then  Partner B may "block"  the red with a green;  Partner A may start a  Blue square and Partner B "blocks"  with orange;  and/or  then do yellow  which can be blocked" with violet.   Partners can keep "blocking" each other or partners can switch colors anytime .But if students  are not keeping track of what color they are, their partner may win without their knowing.  For instance, if Partner A is blue, and Partner B is busy blocking  a red/green or violet/yellow in another area, they may foget to keep blocking the blue and Partner A may win with 4 blue in a row.  The main object is to try to win, but also block you partner with those complementary colors!  (See photo example below.)          Lesson written by:  LGates 2014

As the students fill in the grids, they unconsciously are making a design.  It's amazing to see what they come up with: shapes, faces, chairs, etc.  I ask students to turn their completed papers up, down and sideways to see different shapes, etc. they made. Always there are oohs and ahhs!

This is not only  fun team competition, but helps students  build team skills, good sportsmanship, strategic thinking, and they learn their complementary colors in a fun way.  I had both 3rd and 5th grades in one of my 4 schools do this project, then laminated their "designs" and put it up as a border near my ceiling in the room. 

**You can use tempera or watercolor paint for this project as well, however, it might be more challenging as they'd have to rinse brushes out between colors; and it would take more time.  The photo of this project shows a teacher tempera example.  It looks good on a whiteboard.  (There was no winner in this example.)
Also you could have students create their own grid with a ruler and pencil. However, I prefer the pre-made version. 

Teacher Example