4th Grade Aboriginal Dot Paintings

Fourth grade students are studying Aboriginal Dot Paintings from Australia. We looked at several different examples of dot paintings, both contemporary and prehistoric, and noted a running theme across centuries: native animals. We discussed how important animals were to the Aborigine survival and in their day to day lives. Then we turned to our daily lives in Austin, Texas, and how fourth graders are studying all aspects of the state of Texas this year. Students had to pick one native Texan animal to depict in their own dot painting. They first drew a silhouette of the animal, and cut it out of black paper. Then each student came up with his or her own dot design inside the animal, as well as depicting two "x-ray drawings":which show a bone or organ inside the animal. They finished off their designs with concentric circles, which is a common theme in many Aborigine artworks. Students used swabbed sticks instead of paintbrushes to paint the dots.