Geometry | Sun Valley Museum of Art

Math Mandalas—Geometry

March 2, 2020

Lesson Level

7th Grade

Lesson Category

Geometry

Lesson Content

Five 50-minute classes

Sun Valley Museum of Art Classroom Enrichment Program

Students explore geometry concepts through their design and creation of mandalas.

They will use their knowledge of circumference and area to develop a circle which will then become the container for their mandala designs and create their mandala by calculating the area and perimeter of different sized triangles and squares. Key concepts surrounding mandala design will be explored, including pattern, repetition, symmetry, proportion, and shape.

Objectives:

Students will use formulas for area and circumference of a circle to develop a mandala
Students will demonstrate understanding of the principles of symmetry, repetition, pattern, and shape through the design of their mandala
Students will use at least three different sized shapes and calculate the area of each
Students will choose at least one shape to create two different scales
Students will write a two-to-three-sentence statement about their use of different formulas to construct their mandala

Basic Lesson Outline:

Introduce the project
Show a mandala in progress, explaining how the circle was calculated
Students begin working on their mandalas
Students continue working on mandalas
Students continue and complete mandalas
Students present and display their mandalas

Art Supplies:

Poster board (multiple colors)
Rulers
Scissors
Glue
Pencils
String

Other Resources:

Examples of mandalas created
Slide show to introduce project and related artwork (see outline at the end of the lesson plan)

Math Mandalas Art Integration Lesson Plan - Sun Valley Museum of Art

Idaho State Learning Standards:

Arts and Humanities: Anchor Standard 4: Convey meaning through the presentation/performance/production of an original work or unique interpretation of a work

Objective PR1.1 Combine knowledge and understanding from two or more disciplines to present/perform their original or interpreted works for an audience
Objective PR1.2 Convey meaning through their presentation/performance

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.1
Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.B.4
Know the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle and use them to solve problems; give an informal derivation of the relationship between the circumference and area of a circle.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.B.6
Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, volume and surface area of two- and three-dimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, cubes, and right prisms.

Academic Language:

Subject area language: circumference, area, diameter, radius, and perimeter
Art language: mandala, symmetry, repetition, pattern, shape, and mindfulness

Student Use of Vocabulary:

Students will use the words when creating their projects, when writing about their projects, and when discussing their projects

Student Grouping:

Students will work independently

Instructions

Day 1 – Introduction

Introduce the project with a slide show

Show art reflecting a relationship between math and art, and ask:

What do you see?
Why do you think the artists did that?
How do you think the artist did that?
How can you see math used in the art?

Discuss mandalas

What are they?
Where did they come from?
Why make them?

Introduce expectations and formulas

Discuss goals: art and educational

Show the beginnings of a mandala

Day 2 – Artmaking

Demonstrate use of determining size, circumference, and surface area in creating a mandala
Give students the remainder of the class to calculate their mandala size, circumference, and surface area

Day 3 – Artmaking

Introduce incorporating shapes and designs into the mandala

Explain how to calculate the surface area of a triangle and a square
Demonstrate repetition, balance, and pattern

Students will begin designing their mandalas using three different shapes

Day 4 – Artmaking

Students will continue to work on their designs.
Students will title their work and write an artist statement

Day 5 – Presentations

Students will assist in the display of their artwork
Students write their artist statement about their artwork if they have not already

Lesson Plan Video

Slide Show Outline

Slide examples:

Slide 1: Introduce the idea that math and art are related

How is math used in art? Where can we see its use in these pieces?
What do you notice? How do you think the artist created their piece?
What kind of math concepts did the artist use? What shapes do you notice?

Slide 2–3: Proportion

What is proportion? When is something not in proportion?

Slide 4–5: Symmetry

Introduce concept of symmetry?
How is this piece symmetrical? When would it not be symmetrical?

Slide 6–7: Shapes and Form

Identify shapes in the image. What are some that you found?
Shapes can be present in nature and manmade
How do you think the artist created the shapes?

Slide 8: Measurement and Perspective

Discuss how measurement is used in the art pieces
How does measurement contribute to perspective? How are they related?
How will you use measurement?

Slide 9: Introduce Mandalas

Is anyone familiar with them? Where have you seen them? Have you ever created one?
Consider process through cause and effect, compare/contrast, and argumentation

Slide 10: Intention and Mindfulness

Briefly review both these ideas and how they will be used

Slide 11: How Mandalas Are Created

Slides 12–14: Creating Your Mandala

Slide 12: Setting an intention
Slide 13: Your Circle-equations for circumference and area
Slide 14: Adding to your Mandala- equations for perimeter and area
Introduce pattern and go over pattern/repetition

Slide 15: Art Goals

Slide 16: Education Goals

Slide 17: Resources

End of project artist reflection and presentation:

State your intention and briefly describe Mindful process
Explain development of your mandala, how did you decide on colors/shapes/arrangement?
How did you use math to create your mandala? Did it help you familiarize with the concepts?

Funding for this lesson plan was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MA-10-19-0563-19].

Additional funding provided by Wendy and Alan Pesky.

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Fashion Shapes—Geometry Sculptures

March 2, 2020

Lesson Level

6th Grade

Lesson Category

Geometry

Math

Lesson Content

Five 50-minute classes

Fashion Shapes—Geometry Sculptures Art Integration Lesson

Students physically explore concepts of geometry by creating their own wearable sculptures using 3D geometric forms.

The forms are created from straws, hot glue, paper, paperclips, and other found materials. Students will practice making 3D shapes by cutting out 2D nets and folding them into a variety of box forms. Students will also use the scale factor to create shapes for their finished work.