These activities involve finding and comparing areas of squares and circles. There is extensive problem solving required in completing the tasks. The selected work of art is complex and many aspects of mathematics are inherent in it.
Objectives
- We will find the area of shapes within shapes.
- We will determine and compare areas of different shapes.
- We will calculate the percentage of area that a shape(s) is taking up.
- We will identify the ratio of two areas.
Assessment
- Participation in class discussions
- Shamus Tabriz worksheet
- Circle in a Square worksheets
- Challenge Activity worksheet
Time Required
1 hour
Materials/Resources Needed
- Document camera/projector
- Art Images (linked below in the activities)
- Activity pages (5–9)
- Calculator
- Pencil
- Paper
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
After your field trip to the Asheville Art Museum, have your students talk about their visit. Encourage them to discuss artworks they saw, identifying which ones they liked the most/least and why. Ask them to talk about the studio activity and what they created.
Activity One: Shamus Tabriz
NOTE: All pages referenced below are linked above in Materials/Resources Needed as “Activity pages.”
- Project Tom Dimond’s Shamus Tabriz. Ask students to describe what they see. Discuss how many circles are in the artwork, how symmetry has been used, and the artist’s use of color.
- Provide students with the Shamus Tabriz worksheet (activity page 5) and have them answer the questions. Collect worksheets.
Activity Two: Circle in a Square
- Provide students with Circle in a Square worksheets (activity pages 6–8). Have students work in pairs (like-ability pairs work best) to solve the problems posed on these pages.
- Allow time for discussion of their solutions with the whole class. Collect worksheets.
- Encourage or require students to complete the Challenge Activity worksheet (activity page 9). You may want students to continue working on the problems as homework or in class on another day.