Native Australian-style Dot Painting

elementary: 28 grade 2 students between 6 and 8 years old | Willingdon elementary (Montreal) | September to December 2009

LESSON PLAN

Duration: 2 sessions of 40 minutes

Title: Aboriginal Dot Painting

Rationale: Students need to be aware of art in other cultures, not only cultures across the oceans but also native cultures. The reason for this is so students can understand difference as a normal part of life and so they can recognize the similarities between different people.

Integration: This lesson is integrated with social sciences because its objective is for students to learn about art in other cultures while studying the materials they use for it and the environment they live in, which inspires the subjects for their works.

Broad Areas of Learning: personal and career planning (Focus of Development: adoption of strategies for plans and projects by making a sketch and explaining its use), environmental awareness and consumer rights and responsibilities (Focus of Development: awareness of environment by explaining what constitutes the environment of the Australian aboriginals and how they make use of it for art purposes), citizenship and community life (Focus of Development: culture of peace by learning about different cultures of the world we are advertising difference as normal therefore cultivating peace)

Cross-Curricular Competencies: Uses information (Focus: gathering information by learning about Australian aboriginals), constructs his/her identity (Focus: to be open to surroundings by learning of the use of unconventional materials available in their environment)

Visual Arts Competencies: Creates personal images (by using a specific technique to create an original artwork), appreciates works of art and cultural objects from the world’s artistic heritage, personal images, and media images (by observing and describing the art of Australian aboriginals, and creating a work of art using their dot technique, and by participating in the response)

Learning Objectives:

·                     Students will demonstrate an understanding of the Australian aboriginal dot painting technique by making an original artwork inspired by this technique through the use of dots and ochre tones on a wooden surface.

Art Form: painting

Technique: Australian aboriginal dot painting

Materials, Tools, Equipment:

• pencils
• paper
• cardboard pieces about the same size as the wooden boards
• wood: small panels or small masonite boards (about 5”x5”)
• 4 colors of paint: either tempera or acrylics, using shades of ochre as found in the soils of Australia (white, yellow, ochre, orange, red, brown)
• egg cartons (plastic is best because it doesn’t absorb the paint and you can wash and reuse them)
• rags or brown paper (anything that wipes)
• shish kabob sticks with their pointy ends cut or sawed off
• strong scissors or a small saw to take off the pointy ends of the sticks
• smocks (enough for every student)

Vocabulary: dot painting, aboriginal, ochre, masonite

Artistic and/or Cultural References:

“        a book with large color pictures of Australian Aboriginal Dot Paintings. For example:

Isaacs, J. (1989), Australian Aboriginal Paintings. Dutton Studio Books: New York.

National Museum of Women in the Arts, (2006) Dreaming Their Way: Australian Aboriginal Women Painters. Scala Publishers: London.

LESSON PHASES for part 1

Preparation: Bookmark several images in the books that are the most appropriate for the lesson.

Motivation: Time allotted: 20 minutes

Procedure: Link current lesson with previous one. Gather the students around as if to read them a story. Ask if they know about Australian Aboriginals. Show them where Australia is and discuss the weather, the type of environment there (rocks, deserts, water holes, jungle and forest, etc). Show the Dot paintings and let them observe it by asking them what they see by describing the pictures. Ask the students why they think the Australian aboriginals paint using dots. They used twigs and branches. It’s also a way of showing detail- that things aren’t flat, they have different textures and different colors in them. Ask them why there aren’t that many colors. Explain that they mix the sand with water (or other substances) and that there are different types of rocks that make different colors, but there are no purple rocks, for example, so purple can’t be made. What do you think they painted on? They used what was available: rock and tree bark. They use what’s in their environment as materials and as subjects too.

Development: Time allotted: 15 minutes

            Procedure: The students must make a painting using the dot technique presented during motivation They will first sketch out their ideas with paper and pencil. Part 2 will be about actually painting these on wooden surfaces, as the Australian aboriginals painted on bark. 

Response: Time allotted: ongoing

         Procedure: While the students are sketching, walk around asking questions such as “What are you making? What do you think your sketch is going to look like as a painting? Are you thinking about the colors you will use?” to make sure the students develop the self-reflection necessary in adding detail to and completing a piece.

Clean-up: Time allotted: 5 minutes

         Procedure: Gather all papers and put away all pencils.

         ***NOTE*** if you pick up all the sketches, make sure their names are written on them.

LESSON PHASES for part 2

Preparation: Gather all materials at one station. Cut the pointy ends off the shish kabob sticks to make them safer. Make sure there’s one for every student. Cut the egg cartons so each piece has 4 cupped sections (make sure to round out the corners for safety). Just before the lesson starts, pour small amounts of paint into the cups of the egg cartons: one color for each cup. You can let the students bring the materials on their own to their desks, or you can designate certain students to hand out the materials, whatever you are more comfortable with.

Motivation:    Time allotted: 5 minutes

Procedure: Make a short review of what the students learned and did in part 1. Explain that their drawing was a sketch to practice and to get ideas down. Explain what the materials are for:

“        every student should cover themselves with a smock

“        every student should have a rag (or wipe) – explain how to clean their sticks if they want to change colors: pinch the stick with the rag, twist as if using a screwdriver and pull the stick out of the rag.

“        Every student should have paint (or explain if they need to share paint)

“        Every student needs a stick and a masonite board

“        Every student needs a piece of cardboard. This will serve 2 purposes: to write their names on, and to practice the dot painting technique. Emphasize this second part. The students’ names should be written using the dot painting technique before making their painting on the masonite so they can get used to it.

Development: Time allotted: 20 minutes (or more if possible)

Procedure: the students must first write their names using the dot painting technique on the piece of cardboard as practice. Then, still using the technique, they may begin to paint on the masonite board whatever they chose to draw for part 1. Encourage the addition of details, borders, extras, and comment on the proximity, size, and shape of their dots.

            ***NOTE*** those who make a mistake will not be able to have a second masonite board. They therefore have 2 options to choose from: they can wipe and start over or build on their mistake- turn it into an integral element of the piece.

Response: Time allotted: ongoing during the development and 5 minutes with all students after clean-up.

         Procedure:

Here are some guiding questions to ask during the activity: what are you making? Are you finding it difficult that there aren’t many colors? Is it long to paint with the dot painting technique of the Australian aboriginals?

Here are some guiding questions to lead the response time after the activity: Did you have fun? What was fun about it? Did you think it was difficult and why? Do you think the Australian aboriginals think it’s hard? What kind of things did they paint? What kind of things did you paint? Do you think you did well? Why?

Clean-up:  Time allotted: 10 minutes

         Procedure: Place boards flat on drying area, place wiped sticks in a pile by the sink (keep them or throw them out), clean hands, desks, take off smocks, put away rags (or throw out wipes), and either place paint on designated table for you (the teacher) to scoop the leftover clean paint back into the proper containers or clean plastic egg cartons and leave in a designated area to dry (throw out the cardboard ones).

Evaluation Rubric

Title: Aboriginal Dot Painting

Name of student:

Circle the most appropriate number in each box, then add them up to a maximum of 9 points

The student used the dot painting technique appropriately (without use of continuous lines)	1-      Never 2-      Sometimes 3-      always
The student used the different colors available to denote different details about the main form and to distinguish it from the background (more than one color was used)	1-      Never 2-      Sometimes 3-      always
The student made clear shapes using a proper distance between the dots	1-      Never 2-      Sometimes 3-      always

Total points:                 / 9

Comments: