Get Smart with Art! (10)

"We must become the change we want to see in the world."--Mahatma Ghandi

Fusing the Third R (aRithmetic) with the 4 C’s-Grades 4 and 5
 
This last posting on interdisciplinary connections between math and art will reveal lessons for 4th and 5th grade art students that were inspired by the Everyday Math Series (2004).

Grade 4-Circle Constructions

Objective: To explore constructions that involve more than one circle; to understand 2-D shapes and 3-D forms.

Trace 5 circles onto stiff paper.  Cut out and fold each in half (diameter).  Glue the folded circles one on top of the other.  When dry, open and glue last two sides together; then open and see the 5 pointed star you have created.

   

Grade 5-Tessellations

Objective:  To understand and create tessellations that are a repeated arrangement of shapes that do not overlap or have gaps.

In their math book, 5th grade students read about tessellations:
• A tessellation is an arrangement of repeated, closed shapes that cover a surface so that no shapes overlap and there are no gaps between shapes.
• Some tessellations repeat only one basic shape; others combine 2 or more shapes.
• In a tessellation, the basic shapes are translated (slid), rotated (turned), or reflected (flipped) to fill the surface.

Ask students to look around the room and identify tessellations in ceiling, floor or wall tiles, and patterns in carpet or clothing fabrics.  Decide which tessellations are one basic shape and which combine 2 or more shapes.  Students are given a 3” x 3” piece of white paper.  They fold it in half vertically, then horizontally to create a + in the center of the square.  This becomes their guideline for translating the shape.  Students are to cut a shape out of one side, slide it across to the other side, and then tape it in place.  They repeat the process, this time cutting a shape from the bottom of the square and sliding it up.

Students trace the shape repeatedly in rows across the paper with no gaps between the shapes.  They can do this vertically or diagonally.

Students can enhance their tessellation by coloring in alternate shapes or adding details before coloring. 

Through independent research and collaboration with classroom teachers and peers, Toms River elementary art teachers discovered interdisciplinary connections between topics taught in mathematics and visual arts.  Informal discussions with classroom teachers revealed information presented during math lessons that served as introductory material for art lessons.  By taking advantage of preparation in the math classroom, art teachers promoted deeper understanding of concepts in the art room.

-Kim Huyler Defibaugh

REFERENCES:

University of Chicago School Mathematic Project.  (2004).  Everyday Mathematics, Grades 2, 4 and 5. (2nd ed. update)  McGraw – Hill Education.