Students will be engaged in activities related to art in this lesson. While mathematics is the focus, students will begin to see the relationship between art and math.
Objectives
- We will learn about geometric shapes and their relationship to each other.
- We will enhance mental imagery skills and knowledge of geometric shapes.
- We will begin to develop visual literacy by examining artworks by three different artists.
Assessment
- Participation in class discussions
- Participation in Anni’s Quads group activity
- Anni’s Quads worksheet
- Steps worksheet
- Geometry in Environment worksheet
Time Required
1.5–2 hours (20–30 minutes per activity)
Materials/Resources Needed
- Document camera/projector
- Art images (linked below in the activities)
- Activity pages (1-7)
- Tangram Solutions sheet
- Yarn or string (tied into 6 foot loops)
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Paper for drawing
- Scissors
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Activity One: Tangrams
NOTE: All pages referenced below are linked above in Materials/Resources Needed as “Activity pages.”
- Pass out the tangram shapes (activity page 1), along with crayons or colored pencils. Ask students to color the tangram shapes, identifying each one as they color, using at least two different colors. This will help them become familiar with the shapes.
- Have students cut out each shape, being careful to cut along the lines.
- Pass out the tangram puzzle sheets (activity pages 2–3). Have students attempt to fit their colored shapes into the blank shapes. Begin with the small square on page 2. Allow students a couple of minutes to work on their own.
- If some students have not yet figured out the first puzzle, show the small square (made up of two small triangles and one medium triangle) from the Tangrams Solutions sheet. Show the tangram solution for three seconds, then let students attempt to place their shapes into the corresponding outline form on their own papers.
- After a few moments, show the solution again. Repeat the procedure using the rectangle, large square, and trapezoid from pages 2–3. Collect papers or go over answers together as a class.
Activity Two: Anni’s Quads
NOTE: Read the artist biography of Anni Albers with your students before you begin the lesson. All pages referenced below are linked above in Materials/Resources Needed as “Activity pages.”
- Project Orchestra III from the Connections portfolio by Anni Albers. Ask students to describe what they see. In your class discussion, help students make connections to math (polygons, quadrilaterals, angles) and art (primary colors: red, yellow, and blue).
- Pass out Anni’s Quads (activity page 4) and have students answer the questions on their own or in pairs. Collect papers or go over answers together as a class.
- Form students into groups of five (extra students can form one small group or rotate in). Provide each group with a loop of yarn or string about six feet long, a blank sheet of paper, and a pencil. Have four students stand together, each holding a finger in the loop. The fifth student will be drawing each shape the group makes. Using the geometric forms in Orchestra III from the Connections portfolio as a starting place, ask students to recreate and name Anni’s quadrilaterals with their yarn. The fifth student should draw each shape.
- Groups should do the same activity with other geometric shapes, naming, forming, and drawing each one. Students should take turns being the one to draw the shape. Groups should try to make as many different shapes as possible. Encourage students to question how the shapes are similar/different and discuss with their groups.
- As a class, discuss the shapes that were made and draw each one on the board. Provide names for any shapes students were unable to name. Ask students if there are any quadrilaterals missing from Anni’s artwork.
Activity Three: Steps
NOTE: Read the artist biography of Josef Albers with your students before you begin the lesson. All pages referenced below are linked above in Materials/Resources Needed as “Activity pages.”
- Project Formulation: Articulation, Folio I, Folder 1 by Josef Albers. Ask students to describe what they see. In your class discussion, help students make connections to math (polygons, quadrilaterals, triangles, fractions) and art (value – light/dark blue, shape, line, repetition).
- Pass out Steps worksheets (activity pages 5–6) and have students answer the questions on their own or in pairs. Collect papers or go over answers together as a class.
- Using colored pencils or crayons, students will choose two colors to color in the sections of the rectangle form on the handout (alternating colors for each section).
- Students will then cut out the big rectangle and try to fold the paper along the solid lines to look like the Josef Albers’ form.
Activity Four: Geometry in the Environment
NOTE: All pages referenced below are linked above in Materials/Resources Needed as “Activity pages.”
- Project Porch by the Sea by Gustav W. Von Schlegell. Ask students to describe what they see. Encourage students to look for geometric shapes that might be represented by the objects in the painting. For example, the squares between the rungs of the ladder, circle table top, and triangles on the buildings. Discuss as a class.
- If the image is projected on a white board or SMART board, ask students to come up and outline the geometric shapes directly onto the board with appropriate marker. Alternatively, they can outline the shapes in the painting by tracing with just their finger.
- Pass out Geometry in Environment (activity page 7). Ask students to draw and label the objects that represent geometric shapes on their own paper using a colored pencil or crayon. For example, they could draw the sail on the sailboat or a roof as triangles. They should be able to find all the shapes listed below. Collect papers or go over answers together as a class.
- Triangle
- Oval
- Pentagon
- Rhombus
- Square
- Rectangle
- Trapezoid