Dot Painting: March 29

Teacher Ana Ferzacca Grade Level 1

Subject Art/Science/S Unit Seasons

ocial

Time 12:10-1:10 Overarching ● What are the signs of

2:40-3:40 Question seasonal change?
● What colours represent
different seasons?
● How does our dot art connect
to Blackfoot beadwork?

Description and Rationale

In this lesson students will create dot art painting to represent seasonal
changes with the image of the tree. In social studies we are talking about
indigenous cultures so this lesson will demonstrate a form of Blackfoot art. This
lesson also ties into our science unit about seasonal changes, as we are looking
at signs of spring and have previously examined the signs of winter.
Students will be asked to think about the different colours of the seasons and
we will read a book showing the seasonal changes in trees prior to this lesson.

GLOs Art: B Painting

Science: 1-6 Describe seasonal changes, and interpret the effects of

seasonal changes on living things.

Social: 1.2: Moving Forward with the Past: My Family, My History &
My Community

SLOs Art: • Paint using experimental methods, including without a brush.

Science: 2. Identify and describe examples of plant and animal

changes that occur on a seasonal basis:
● changes in form and appearance

Social: 1.2.1 - appreciate how stories and events of the past connect
their families and communities to the present: appreciate people
who have contributed to their communities over time.

Learning ● Students will be able to represent seasonal changes using

Objectives an image of a tree.
● Students will be able to appreciate how Blackfoot beadwork
connects to the dot painting that they are creating.
● Students will be able to create consistent dots using paint
and Q-Tips.
Material/Equipment/Resources

Tree templates printed on cardstock

Example dot painting and extra copy to model for class
plates/paint palettes
Q-Tips
Paint
Paper towels and spray for clean up
Example pictures of Blackfoot beadwork and dot painting
We will have read “Tap the Magic Tree” before this lesson
Students have already learned about the signs and colours of spring, fall, and
winter.

Body Time

Activity 1 Discussion 10
Intro and Do we remember talking about indigenous people? mins
FNMI When we played those indigenous games or every Monday
connections when Miss Morrow comes on the announcements?
Who are ndigenous people? Who are the Blackfoot
people?
Why are they important to us here in Lethbridge?
● Remind students of the powwow dance at the LCI
dance show
● Because we are on Blackfoot land
Blackfoot art is important to their culture, they created art
with beads
Metis people took this practice and created artwork, lots
with flowers
Dot art represents that beadwork
● Show examples of beadwork - flowers, different
colours, tiny dots of colour to create larger pictures
We are going to create our own dot art that mimics/looks
like beadwork to represent the different seasons
● Review seasons
● What colours would you use for each season?
○ W: blue, white
○ Sp: light green, pink, yellow
○ Su: dark green, yellow, purple
○ F: orange, yellow, brown, red

Activity 2 *before handing out templates explain that this is special 10

Painting the paper, they only get one - don’t scribble, make it messy, mins
Trunk treat it well

Hand out templates and have students write their names

on the back
Then have them write seasons at the bottom of each of
the 4 sections - demonstrate this - They can use a
seasonal coloured marker to write this
 Demonstrate the dotting technique on the doc cam -
emphasize that this is not like a paint brush and don’t let
them drag the Q-Tip across the page.

Hand out paint palettes with brown paint only.

Have students fill the trunk and branches of the tree with
brown dots

Activity 3 Distribute colours as you go so that students only have 50

Adding the the colours they need in front of them. mins
Seasons
Winter
Starting with the blue paint make some dots around the
branches
Add some dots in the sky to look like falling snowflakes
and then add some on the ground to mimic the snow on
the ground
After finishing with the blue paint, add white paint - some
can be mixed with the blue paint to create a lighter blue.
*students must use the other end or a new q tip to dip into
the white

Spring
Using green and white, create small leaves on the
branches of the tree
DO NOT make too many - remind students that in the
spring the leaves are just starting to grow
Add some green to the ground to be the grass
Use the purple to add small dots for flower buds on the
tree branches

Break here for lunch

Put paintings on the side and clean up paint - Q tips go in
the garbage
Make sure names are on paintings - have a student wipe
desks and have students go wash hands

Summer
Using the green not mixed with white, make lots of leaves
on the tree
Refer to the example for this and explain that in the
summer the trees are full of leaves
Add green to the ground for grass
Add yellow as sunbeams from the sky and add some to the
tree to make lighter green leaves
Add yellow in the grass (dandelions)

Fall
Add red, orange, yellow dots as leaves around the
 branches, the colours can mix
Tell students to add some in the air under the tree to look
like leaves falling and to add some on the ground to show
the leaves that have already fallen

Once done, students can add their spirit dot

This is a dot that is a colour that has not been used in the
painting - they can use their own markers for this.
The spirit dot should be small and not stand out too much
from the rest of their artwork. It should not distract from
what's already there.

This dot represents mistakes - everyone makes mistakes

Clean up all paint and wipe desks

Closure How did we show the different seasons through our art?
● Colours, amount of leaves
Blackfoot beading is tedious - takes a lot of time and
attention to detail - how was this similar? Do you think that
the Blackfoot people who create this art must be very
talented and patient?
Why is it important to Blackfoot culture?
● Tell stories, show cycles like seasons
● Value the natural world

Assessment

Observation
Making sure students are paying attention to detail - talking about signs and
colours of the different seasons