Celebrate International Dot Day!

International Dot Day, a celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration.

THE DOT, by Peter Reynolds, 2003

This lesson plan celebrates International Dot Day with a student art exhibition based on the color study Farbstudie Quadrate, by the French Expressionist, Wassily Kandinsky, well known for his color theory.

In honor of The Dot, students are introduced to the experimentation with color mixing, and create a piece of art to be part of a large, collaborative exhibit.

TIP: Play music in the background during art-making as Kandinsky often did!

Grade Level: K–4th grade

Time Required: 1 45-min. class period

Objective:

Students celebrate creativity, courage and collaboration by making Kandinsky inspired artwork in celebration of International Dot Day, September 15th-ish.

National Core Arts Standards:

Creating: #2, 3 Presenting/Producing: #5, 6

Responding: #8, 9

Connecting: #11

http://www.nationalartsstandards.org/

Vocabulary:

Concentric

Primary Color

Secondary Color

Expressionist

Color Theory

Tint/Shade

Contrast

Materials:

Faber-Castell Tempera Paint

Faber-Castell Oil Pastels or Crayons

Paint Brushes – medium and small

Pencils

Faber-Castell 9×12 Watercolor Paper

Teaching Art - Color Mixing

Teaching color mixing: Show how to mix primary colors (red, yellow and blue) to create secondary colors (orange, purple and green.) Show how to add more or less of one color to another for a range of the new color. For example, more yellow added to green makes a lime green. Add white to a color to create a lighter tint. Add black to a color to create a darker shade. Experiment, and always keep colors clean by rinsing brushes in water between dipping in colors.

Step 1:

Begin by having students draw a 7 x 7-inch square on a 9 x 12 inch paper. Make crop marks at corners. A template or T-square and ruler may be used. Next, have them paint a big dot of color in the center of the square.

Step 2:

Show students how to paint four to five concentric rings of color in various thicknesses around the dot.

Step 3:

Paint the rest of the square. Let dry.
Painting Art Lesson - Concentric Circles

Step 4:

Demonstrate how to add design detail with paint, pastel or crayon. Make contrasting dots, lines and squiggles! Finally, have students cut out their square of art, using crop marks as guides.

Dot Day Art Lesson for Kids
Determine the size and dimension of the wall exhibit you will have by counting the pieces of art and figuring how many rows across and down there will be. The exact size of the overall piece will be determined by the number of pieces of art. Create a backing made of butcher paper at the determined size onto which to arrange and glue the squares. Create a truly collaborative experience by having students help!