Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v3 - Primary 4
Creative Use of Colours and Textures.
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Creative Use of Colours and Textures.
Download the Lessonotes Mobile Nigeria 2025 app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Cultural and Creative Arts
Class: Primary 4
Term: 1st Term
Week: 3
Theme: Arts And Crafts
This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.
For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.
Watch on YouTubeSee Facebook poststate the uses of colours in society. draw and colour items using different colours. colour an item using dye from leaf or roots. state uses of textures.
This section provides in-depth explanations of the core concepts related to the creative use of colours and textures. enough time is available.
Explain the steps clearly: gathering, preparation, extraction (boiling/pounding), straining. Show how to dip a small piece of fabric or paper into the extracted dye. Supervise students as they participate in the dyeing process (e.g., dipping their own small fabric swatches or paper into pre-prepared dye solutions). Explain the importance of drying the dyed item.
Student Activity: Observe the teacher's demonstration of natural dye extraction and application. Participate in the dyeing activity by carefully dipping their fabric/paper into the dye bath. Discuss how different plants could yield different colours. Hang their dyed items to dry.
Phase 5: Conclusion and Review (10 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Summarise the key learning points about colours and textures and their creative uses. Ask review questions to check understanding (e.g., "Name two uses of colours," "Describe a rough texture"). Assign homework.
Student Activity: Answer review questions. Ask any remaining questions. Note down homework.
Materials: Assortment of objects with different colours and textures (e.g., fruits, fabrics, wood, stone, plastic items, leaves). Pictures of Nigerian crafts (Adire, Aso-Oke, carved masks, pottery). Drawing papers, pencils, crayons/colour pencils. Paints (red, yellow, blue) for colour mixing demonstration (optional).
Ingredients for natural dye: leaves/roots (e.g., bitter leaf, hibiscus leaves/flowers, turmeric root), mortar and pestle, small pot, heat source, water, fine straining cloth, small pieces of fabric/paper for dyeing.
Optional: Old newspapers to protect desks during practical activities. This section outlines structured activities for lesson delivery, ensuring both teacher instruction and student engagement.
Phase 1: Introduction and Exploration (15 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Begin by displaying various everyday objects with distinct colours (e.g., a red pen, a blue exercise book, a yellow fruit like a banana or lemon) and textures (e.g., a smooth stone, a rough piece of wood, a soft piece of fabric like cotton, a shiny metal spoon). Ask questions that prompt students to identify the colours and how the objects feel. Introduce the terms "colour" and "texture." Show pictures of traditional Nigerian crafts (e.g., Adire fabric, carved wooden figures, clay pots, woven baskets) and ask students to identify colours and describe textures. Briefly explain the objectives for the lesson.
Student Activity: Observe the displayed objects and pictures. Participate in a guided discussion, naming colours and describing the feel of objects (e.g., "The pen is red and smooth," "The wood is brown and rough"). Hold and touch safe objects to feel their textures. Attempt to identify colours and textures in the Nigerian cultural examples presented.
Phase 2: Concept Development - Colours (25 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Explain what colours are and introduce primary and secondary colours, demonstrating how secondary colours are formed by mixing primaries (e.g., using paint or crayons on a palette/paper). Discuss the various uses of colours in society, providing examples relevant to Nigeria (e.g., traffic lights, school uniforms, traditional ceremonial clothes, market stalls, food items). Ask students to brainstorm other uses of colours they observe daily.
Introduce a simple drawing activity: Guide students to draw a common object (e.g., an apple, a mango, a leaf) on paper. Demonstrate how to colour neatly within the lines using crayons or pencils.
Student Activity: Identify primary colours and participate in a guided activity to mix primary colours to form secondary colours (if materials are available). Actively listen and contribute examples of colour uses in their community. Draw the instructed object (e.g., an apple) on their drawing sheets. Colour their drawn item neatly, choosing appropriate colours.
Phase 3: Concept Development - Textures (20 minutes)
Teacher Activity: Explain what texture means (how things feel or look like they feel). Present various objects or pictures representing different textures (e.g., sandpaper, cotton wool, a polished stone, a rough sponge, a smooth leaf). Guide students to describe each texture using appropriate adjectives (rough, smooth, soft, hard, bumpy, shiny, dull). Discuss the uses of textures in everyday life, focusing on Nigerian examples (e.g., rough roads for grip, smooth pots for cooking, soft fabrics for clothes, textured carvings). Guide students to draw a simple object with a distinct texture (e.g., a tree bark, a brick wall, a pineapple).
Student Activity: Feel the texture of various objects and describe them using appropriate vocabulary. Listen attentively and contribute examples of texture uses in their daily observations. Draw an object with a distinct texture, attempting to visually represent that texture through lines or shading.
Phase 4: Practical Application - Natural Dyes (30 minutes - potentially split over two periods if drying time is needed)
Teacher Activity: Introduce the concept of natural dyes, explaining that people have traditionally used plants for colouring. Demonstrate the process of extracting dye from a common local plant (e.g., bitter leaf for green, turmeric for yellow, hibiscus flower for red/pink). Preparation (pounding/boiling) should be done prior to the lesson to save time, or started early in the lesson if enough time is available.
Explain the steps clearly: gathering, preparation, extraction (boiling/pounding), straining. Show how to dip a small piece of fabric or paper into the extracted dye. Supervise students as they participate in the dyeing process (e.g., dipping their own small fabric swatches or paper into pre-prepared dye solutions). Explain the importance of drying the dyed item.
Student Activity: Observe the teacher's demonstration of natural dye extraction and application. Participate in the dyeing activity by carefully dipping their fabric/paper into the dye bath. * These questions are designed to reinforce learning during the lesson, with the teacher guiding students to the correct answers.
Question 1: Mention three different ways colours are used in our everyday lives in Nigeria.
Teacher Guidance: Encourage students to think about things they see on their way to school, in the market, or in their homes. Prompt them with categories like safety, clothing, or communication.
Solution: Traffic lights: Red, yellow, and green colours tell drivers when to stop, slow down, or go, ensuring safety on our roads.
School uniforms: Specific colours identify students from a particular school, like the white and green of some primary schools, helping to differentiate them. Traditional fabrics (e.g., Adire or Aso-Oke): Vibrant colours are used to create beautiful patterns for dresses worn during festivals, weddings, and other celebrations, showing our culture.
Food items in the market: Different colours of fruits (e.g., red tomatoes, yellow bananas, green garden eggs) help us identify and choose fresh produce.
Question 2: Draw a simple fruit, like a banana, and colour it realistically using crayons or colour pencils.
Teacher Guidance: Provide drawing paper. Guide students on drawing a basic banana shape. Remind them to consider the natural colour of a ripe or unripe banana. Emphasise colouring neatly within the lines.
Solution: Student drawing:* A clear outline of a banana.
Colouring:* The banana should be coloured yellow (if ripe) or green (if unripe), applied evenly within the drawn lines, without scribbling outside.
Commentary:* This assesses the ability to draw and apply appropriate colours, demonstrating observation skills and fine motor control.
Question 3: Imagine you want to get a yellow dye from a plant. Which common Nigerian root could you use, and what are the first two steps you would take to extract the dye?
Teacher Guidance: Remind students of the natural dye demonstration. Ask them to recall which plant gave a yellow colour. Guide them through the initial steps for preparing a plant for dye extraction.
Solution: Plant: Turmeric root (known as "ata ile pupa" in Yoruba, or simply "turmeric" commonly).
Steps: Gather and Wash: Collect fresh turmeric roots and wash them thoroughly to remove dirt.
Prepare: Grate or pound the washed turmeric roots into smaller pieces to help release the yellow colour.
Commentary:* This assesses recall of natural dye sources and the initial practical steps, linking theory to a hands-on process.
Question 4: Name two different objects you can find in your classroom and describe their textures.
Teacher Guidance: Encourage students to look around them. Prompt them to touch items if possible, or remember how they feel. Guide them to use descriptive words for texture.
Solution: Chalkboard/Whiteboard: Its texture is usually smooth (for writing easily).
Wooden Desk/Chair: Its texture is often hard and can be smooth if polished, or slightly rough if unpolished.
Wall: The wall can be smooth if painted, or slightly rough/bumpy if made of unplastered cement blocks.
School bag (fabric): The fabric can be soft or rough depending on the material (e.g., canvas or nylon).
Commentary:* This assesses the ability to identify and describe textures in their immediate environment, applying learned vocabulary.
Traditional Nigerian Crafts and Attire: The knowledge of colours and textures is fundamental to appreciating and participating in Nigeria's rich cultural heritage. Students learn how Adire (tie-dye) and Aso-Oke (hand-woven fabric) use specific colour combinations and woven textures to create beautiful, culturally significant clothing. This can be extended to pottery (smooth vs. rough clay pots), carving (textured wooden masks or sculptures), and beadwork, which all rely on the creative use of colours and tactile qualities. Students can be encouraged to observe these in local markets or cultural events.
Home and Community Environment Design: Understanding colours and textures helps in making aesthetic choices for personal and public spaces. For example, painting a house (choosing colours that are pleasing or represent something, like a cool blue for a calm room, or a bright yellow for a cheerful space) or selecting furniture with specific textures (a smooth table for easy cleaning, a soft cushion for comfort). In the community, students can observe how street vendors use colourful displays to attract customers or how different building materials create varied textures on houses (e.g., rough mud walls, smooth cement finishes, bumpy stone foundations).
Agriculture and Food Presentation: In Nigeria, the vibrant colours and diverse textures of agricultural produce are crucial. Farmers use colours to determine ripeness (e.g., green to yellow for plantains, red for ripe tomatoes). At markets, the colourful display of fruits, vegetables, and spices (e.g., bright red peppers, yellow maize, green leafy vegetables) attracts buyers. Similarly, food preparation often involves contrasting colours and textures for appeal (e.g., a smooth yam porridge with rough-textured fried fish). This application teaches students about natural aesthetics and practical judgments related to food.