Unit: Peter Reynolds: Creatriology

Grades: Kindergarten & 1st

THE DOT
Kansas State Standard VA:Basic:1.1.1
Standard 1: Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
Benchmark 1: The student explores a variety of art media, techniques, and
processes.
Indicator 1: manipulates a variety of media, such as paint, dough, clay, crayons,
paper, and fibers.

Objectives
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Students will identify and create the shape of a circle.

Students will identify and use positive and negative space within their
artwork.

Students will experiment with a variety of media and select one to produce
a final artwork with.

Medium: Drawing & Painting

Durations: 1- 30minute, 1- 1hour

Materials
9x12in Drawing Paper
8X8in Drawing Paper
Colored Pencils
Crayons
Watercolors & Brushes
Pastels
Black Colored Pencils (for signing names)
10x10in Yellow Construction Paper
Yellow Sharpie Marker
2.5-3in lids (to use as template)
6in lids (to use as template)

Elements of Art
Shape, Space

Art Production

Principles of Design

30 Minutes Read The Dot & Discuss

1 Hour Create Dot Artwork (30minutes testing media, 20 minute DOT)

Emphasis

30 Minutes Read The Dot & Discuss

Anticipatory Set: Raise your hand if you have ever stared at a blank piece of paper
and said, I dont know what to draw or I cant draw?
State Objective: Today were going read a book about a girl who thought she
couldnt draw but learns that just a simple mark can be a work of art.
Input & Guided Practice: Read the book The Dot written & illustrated by Peter

Vocabulary
Medium materials used to create a work
of art.
Monochrome one color
Minimalism a trend in art that uses
simple forms and shapes.

Reynolds. Ask questions as you read (Listed in Art Criticism/Analysis Questions)

(THEDOT.PPT) Show the students some work by Yves Klein & Kazimir
Malevich. Discuss how sometimes art can be simple, like in Minimalist artworks.
Kazimir Malevich Malevich painted simple shapes and a single color. By doing
this, he removed all the things art had always been about (such as animals, people,
food and landscapes). That was why it was so radical at the time! Black
Square became one of the most important works of modern art. It was so special
that the painting was revealed to the world after months of secrecy and was hidden
again for almost 50 years!
Yves Klein - Yves Klein was a French artist who invented his own color! He
called it International Klein Blue or IKB for short. He painted about 200 paintings

THE DOT

Art History/Resources
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
TheDot.PPT (Google Drive)
Kazimir Malevich, Black Square, 1913
Kazimir Malevich, Black Circle, 1923
Yves Klein, IKB 191, 1961

using IKB. We call these paintings monochrome paintings. Mono means one
and chroma means color, so a monochrome painting is a painting that only
includes one color.
Ask the students: Do you think something this simple is art? Could it be in a
museum?

Modifications/Notes
If time remains after painting or after
reading and discussion, read Peter H.
Reynoldss other books, Ish & Sky Color.

Demonstrate: Show exemplars. Talk about the various media & methods the
students could use to create their dot.
Check for Understanding: What should you do when you feel stuck and think
you cant draw? (Make a mark and see where it takes you). When we make our
dots, should yours be exactly like mine? (No). Could you make a not dot? (Yes).
What would you say to someone who thinks they cant draw?
Closure: Talk about blank page syndrome, sometimes you just need to make a
mark and see where it takes you. I cant wait to see what types of dots you all
come up with next time!

1 Hour Create Dot Artwork (30minutes testing media, 15 minute DOT)

Anticipatory Set: What did we read about last time you were here? Raise your
hand if you can tell me what two Elements of Art we talked about last time.
(SHAPE, SPACE). What two types of space are there? (Positive & Negative).
State Objectives: Today were going to make our own DOTS! First well
experiment with some different mediums (mediums are types of art materials).
Youll get a chance to try some tempera paint, crayons, & colored pencils. You
will also make a not-dot where you make a dot from negative space. Then youll
get to pick which one you like best and you can make your final big dot!
Demonstrate: Demonstrate how to fold the 9x12 paper into four sections and use
the white lids to draw the circles. Demonstrate how to color all in one direction
with the colored pencils. Demonstrate coloring in one direction with the crayons;
also show how layering two colors could make it more interesting. Demonstrate
painting with the paintbrush and tempera cakes. Swirl the wet paintbrush in the
tempera cake color. Paint by pulling in one direction, the end of your paintbrush
should paint which direction you want the paint to go. Show how to use the black
lids to create the large dot. Show students how to sign their first name at the bottom
of their dot artwork.
Check for Understanding: How many times do we fold our paper? TWICE! How
many dots are we going to make? FOUR! How many not-dots? ONE! Youll
have 7 minutes for each medium (7 minutes at crayons, 7 minutes at colored
pencils, 7 minutes at paint). Should you just move to the next table whenever you
want? NO! Should you scribble really fast to color your dots? NO!
Guided Practice: Different Media tempera cakes, crayons, colored pencil
2 Tables Tempera Cakes
4 Tables Drawing Media (2 - Crayons, 2 - Colored Pencils)
Hand out 9x12in papers; divide the class evenly amongst the six tables to create 3
groups. It is a standing day; students should not sit down in their chairs. Students

THE DOT

should use the white lids to trace an outline of their dot then color in using
whatever medium is at their table. Set a timer for 7 minutes; when timer sounds
(hands in the air, behind the chair) rotate the groups. Students at the painting
table will take their mats with them, by the end; every student will have a painting
mat. Every time the students rotate, remind them that they have to also make a notdot at the painting station. When the experimentation dot page is done, all students
will line up in the middle of the room holding their painting mats.
Pass out 8x8 papers by calling names. Ask each student what they want to make
their dot out of: paint, colored pencils, or crayon. Place their 8x8 page next to
their test page and send each student to the appropriate table to complete their dots.
When there are four students at a table, that table is full and closed. The student
will have to go to the next table. If both tables of a medium are full then that
medium is closed and the student must choose another one. Students will then have
15 minutes to carefully draw and paint their final dot. Using the black lids, students
should trace their circle on their paper. Then they may color it in with their
medium, or color the outside to create a not-dot. When students are finished they
should raise their hand and the teacher will come to give them a black colored
pencil to sign their name on the bottom. Once finished the teacher will place
painted pieces on the drying rack.
Closure: Show students an example of a framed dot with a yellow mount paper
decorated with swirls. Ask students what their favorite medium was (five answers).
Ask again what the two Elements of Art we talked about were, and what types of
space do we have. (Shape, Space Positive, Negative)

Aesthetic Questions
Can something as simple as a dot still be called art?

Art Criticism/Analysis Questions

Before Reading:
-Have you ever looked at a blank piece of paper and thought, I dont know
what to draw?
-Or, I cant draw?
-While we read, pay attention to what Vashtis teacher does to encourage her.
While Reading:
- Why does the teacher call it a polar bear in a snowstorm?
- How did it make Vashti feel when the teacher asked her to sign her name?
- What else did the teacher do?
- Why is that important? How did it make Vashti feel?
After Reading:
-What did Vashti challenge herself to do?
-What did Vashti discover about herself and being an artist?
- Why do you think the author wrote this book? What did he want us to learn?

THE DOT