5th Grade Aboriginal Dot Paintings

Students in 5th grade learned about the art of aboriginal dot paintings from the Australian Culture. Aboriginal dot paintings are created to tell stories. Many of the symbols used by Aboriginal artists are a variation of lines or dots. Similar symbols can have multiple meanings according to the art region and the combination of symbols can tell complex Dreamtime stories.

Students in 5th grade studied the symbols and created their own story in the style of dot painting. 5th graders first created our hands using white paint then planned our story around our hand. The 5th graders chose a color scheme to paint their story and carefully painted their symbols using the dot technique.