Thursday, September 8, 2016

Another International Dot Day Audition

Am I obsessed with Dot Day or what??!! There are just so many places you can go with dots that I find it hard to decide which ideas to use in the classroom. Here is another project that I am thinking about for this year. It is a collaborative effort I am calling Dot Pathways.

This lesson requires simple materials which you can see in the photo below. I like Crayola watercolor markers.

The pathway starts with two watercolor marker lines creating a "channel" within which students will draw and design their dots, using either warm or cool crayons. 



Notice that the marker lines are either warm or cool and all but the very center of dots are the opposite (warm/cool).

Once the dots are designed, kids use a paintbrush and clear water to draw the watercolor marker into the pathway and the background. This is a good opportunity to talk about using just the tip of the brush and which direction to draw out the water. I like to have them paint the pathway quickly with plain water before drawing the watercolor color into the water.

When all is dry, students can join their pathways to create a whole collaborative network of paths.




4 comments:

  1. This one is my favorite audition so far! I may not be commenting much this summer, but I definitely AM reading!

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  2. Thanks, Phyl. This is the one I've decided to do next week. I have been having trouble with my laptop crashing every time I connect to internet or try to work with photos. I tried using my ipad but that doesn't seem to work without a special app so have been researching those to see which is best to get. I have an appt at the Apple store next week so am hoping all is back to normal then. Making comments with one finger on the tablet has definitely slowed me down!!

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  3. My kids are going to love it. Thank you

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  4. WOW!! This is a great lesson. I can't wait to give it a try! Thanks for the creativity nugget! You are so good to share.

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