Rotational Symmetry

I am pulling out an old lesson this week for my 4th graders who happen to be working on Rotational Symmetry.  I love teaching this lesson because the results are stunning, the kids feel confident about their work, and they want to work hard for the final product (which is sometimes a challenge).  I have the students create a simple drawing on 1/8 of their circle, then teach them how to "transfer" their drawing into all 8 parts of their circle by putting pencil led on the back of the piece of paper and tracing over the original drawing 8 times.  We also discuss some techniques of using colored pencils, like graduated coloring, shading, and blending colors together.

 

Step 1: Divide circle, Draw design onto separate 1/8th

  

Step 2: Fill backside of design piece with pencil lead

Step 3: Trace over design into each piece on the circle, 

pressing hard to transfer the lead from the back onto the paper.

Step 4: Trace over all pencil lines with a Sharpie & add color!