Art can be used to teach many important mathematical concepts.
For centuries, artists have used math concepts in their art. Sculptors must use scale and measurement to create their sculptures, and architects need a solid foundation in math to create buildings. Painters often use geometric principles to give their artwork a sense of balance. Teachers can use math concepts to help children understand the elements and principles of art. On the other hand, art can also be used to teach mathematical concepts.
Tessellations
According to Math Forum, a tessellation is a pattern of shapes that repeat without leaving any gaps or overlaps between the shapes. You can use tessellations to introduce the geometric concepts of symmetry, transformations, polygons and angles at any grade level.
To create regular tessellations, you will need a square, triangle, hexagon or a combination of these shapes for your students to use as templates. You will also need a sheet of heavy card stock, tape, scissors, several sheets of scratch paper, a page of drawing paper and crayons for each student.
First, have the students trace the shapes on card stock. Next, they will cut the shapes out. They can tape several of the card stock shapes together to create a more interesting design. Your students should practice tracing the design on scratch paper to make sure the pieces will interlock without any difficulty. When the students are satisfied with their designs, they can trace the images on drawing paper. Their tessellations should fill their paper all the way to the outer edges.
When they have finished tracing their designs, they can color them, using repeating color patterns.
Geometric Sculpture
Children can learn about three-dimensional shapes by creating marshmallow and toothpick sculptures. To teach this concept, you will need:
Miniature marshmallows
Toothpicks
Before you begin the lesson or project, allow the child to experiment with the concept of putting the toothpicks and marshmallows together. After he grasps the basic idea of building with these tools, show him construct basic shapes such as triangles, rectangles, and cubes. For instance, to build a cube, the child needs eight marshmallows and twelve toothpicks. To begin with, have him build a two-dimensional square using four marshmallows and four toothpicks. The marshmallows will hold the corners of the square together. Then he needs to build a second square in the same manner. To create a cube, he can lay the first square down and stick one toothpick upright into each marshmallow. He will place the other square on top of the four upright toothpicks and press down gently so that the toothpicks sink into the marshmallows.
You can add on to this project by having him draw and cut out two-dimensional shapes before building the three-dimensional form. Afterwards, he can show his knowledge by telling you about the similarities and differences between the two shapes.
Draw a Math Story
Word problems can be especially difficult for students who have a hard time following directions. It often helps to draw the word problem before attempting to solve it. To complete this activity, your students will need:
Paper
Crayons, colored pencils or markers
First, write the story problem on the board. Demonstrate solve the problem by circling the important facts in the story such as the numbers and any key words that tell whether the numbers should be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided. Afterwards, the students will write the math sentence on their paper and solve it by drawing pictures. For example, if the problem reads:
Jessica had 8 flowers. Anna gave her 6 more. How many flowers does Jessica have now?
Cirlce the numbers 8 and 6, as well as the word more, and explain to your students that the word "more" tells them that that they will be adding instead of subtracting. Lastly, show the students write the math sentence as 8 + 6 = ____. The children should write the math sentence on their own paper.
Finally, have the students draw and color a picture of Jessica's 8 flowers, plus the 6 flowers that Anna gave her, and they can count to find the sum.
Demonstrate the problem-solving technique for your students several times before assigning word problems for the children to complete on their own.
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