Lesson Plan (Grades K-2): Color-By-Number Story Art - An Engaging K–2 Math & Art Unit

I. Introduction

Lesson Title: Color-By-Number Story Art

Grade Level: Kindergarten–2nd Grade

Subject Area: Early Mathematics & Visual Arts

Overview Color-By-Number Story Art blends literacy, mathematics, and art in a playful, cross-curricular experience. Over multiple sessions, students will:

1. Listen to and recall a counting-focused story, noting key quantities and narrative elements.
2. Decode numbered regions on an illustration by solving simple addition and counting prompts.
3. Apply one-to-one correspondence and numeral recognition to determine which color corresponds to each region.
4. Color within boundaries, reinforcing fine-motor skills and visual discrimination.
5. Reveal a hidden image—such as a garden scene, animal silhouette, or community landscape—emerging as they paint.
6. Explain their mathematical reasoning verbally, connecting story details to artwork.
7. Reflect in journals on how math helped them create art and why precision matters in both disciplines.

This immersive unit fosters number sense, problem solving, cooperative learning, and creative expression, making mathematics memorable and meaningful for young learners.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Solve addition facts within 10 and simple counting prompts up to 20.
2. Match numeric solutions to a color-key legend accurately.
3. Demonstrate one-to-one correspondence when counting objects or region prompts.
4. Use crayons, colored pencils, or watercolor brushes effectively to fill numbered regions.
5. Articulate their problem-solving process with appropriate math vocabulary (e.g., “plus,” “equals,” “count”).
6. Recall and retell key story events, linking narrative counts to artwork regions.
7. Collaborate during peer-review, offering constructive feedback on both math solutions and coloring neatness.

Standards Alignment

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.B.4: Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, rectangular array, or circle.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.A.1: Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.2 / RL.1.2: Retell familiar stories, including key details.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 / SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners.
• Fine Arts Standard: Demonstrate competency in controlling art materials and tools to produce work.