Third Grade Radial Designs

Every year I try to do some sort of radial symmetry project with my third grade students.  This year I decided to use color pencils and black construction paper.  They turned out great.  We did talk a little about contrast when we were coloring them and students looked for colors that would make their designs stand out.  To create these designs we first practiced drawing a variety of lines.  After that we looked at some radial designs and talked about what makes radial symmetry (a circular design with a center point and designs repeating out from the center).  I gave them practice sheets with a bullseye design on them to make it easier.  Their assignment was to use a variety of lines to create a radial design.  Final designs were transferred to black paper and then colored in.  

While they were working on completing their designs students took turns using the iPad app Doodle Dandy.  This app allows you to make really interesting radial designs.  I always use this with my students and it is always a big hit.  It is a free app and easy and fun to use for all ages. 

Radial Designs using Doodle Dandy app

Fourth Grade Tessellations

My fourth grade students looked at the work of MC Escher and created some of their own tessellations. After we made our shape we brainstormed what kind of animal we could turn it into.  This was both challenging and fun.  We used sharpie and twistable crayons to add color.  I asked my students to have some sort of pattern to their coloring.
Another fun app I found for the ipad is Amaziograph.  I thought it was a great complement to this lesson.  This app allows you to create drawings without symmetry, radial designs, and tiling symmetry designs (tessellations).   We focused on the tiling symmetry designs.  There were three different options to choose from.  The kids really loved this app.  Some other fun aspects of the app are color  mixing and playing with the brush softness and opacity.

Student Artwork

Amaziograph Creations

Radial Symmetry

I love creating radial designs with my students.  This is a lesson that I saw awhile ago and always wanted to do with my students.   The Students created one section of their design using lines that connect to the sides of the shape and then traced them onto their remaining pieces.  I asked students to choose a color scheme for their designs.  We talked about warm and cool colors, primary and secondary colors, complementary colors and analogous colors.  While students were working on their designs we took turns using the Doodle Dandy app on the ipad.  This is a fun app that allows students to create all different kinds of radial designs.  You can change the pen size, color, and number of symmetry.  The kids loved it.  At the end of the lesson we used the ipads and the infuse learning website to review our knowlege of color schemes.  Infuse learning is an ipad student response system.  I love it because I can display an image onto my smartboard, ask my students questions and they can draw onto that image on the ipad to show me their understanding.  I projected a color wheel onto my smartboard and asked my students some questions like; circle the warm colors or put an X onto the primary colors.  The students had fun and I got to see what they learned about color.