Fifth Grade Mandalas

Materials Needed

• sketchbook
• ruler
• compass- 1/table
• 12 x 12 paper
• fine-tipped black markers
• Crayola color sticks

• black poster board

Fifth grade learned about various cultures that make mandalas. They focused on how radial symmetry is created in the mandalas. They also learned how to use a compass and a ruler to create different lines and then practiced making lines in their sketchbooks.

They were given a 12” x 12” piece of paper. We started by folding the paper corner to corner, so that we had a large triangle. We folded again, corner to corner to create a smaller triangle and then 1 more time to form an even smaller triangle. In total, we folded 3 times. When we opened our paper, we had 8 triangular sections radiating around the center of our paper.

We used the compass to draw at least 4 circles radiating from the middle of our paper. If the student chose to draw more they could, but I showed them what would happen to their designs if they drew too many (the designs would have to be very small).

I then did a lesson on organic and geometric designs. We looked at shapes around us and classified them. We brainstormed a list of geometric shapes and a list of organic shapes. The students had to choose whether they wanted their mandala to have organic or geometric.

They began by drawing a design in 1 section of the outer ring. They then had to repeat that exact design 7 more times around the outside ring. I had them move to the next ring and create another design and repeat the process. They continued until all rings were finished.

I had them trace the entire design with a black marker and then we talked about color schemes. We reviewed warm and cool colors, and complementary colors. There were 2 new ones that I added on to their list of color schemes. We learned about analogous colors (neighbors) and monochromatic colors (for this, we looked at Picasso's Blue Period paintings).



Once we had all of the color schemes, I had them choose 1 color scheme and they wrote it on the back of their paper (as a reminder) along with the colors that went into this scheme. They used Crayola Color Stix and Sharpie markers to color their radial designs.

I walked around and reminded them that they had to repeat the color in each section, just as they had done when they were drawing. Pin It