Richards Middle School
Sands – Meagan Cascone
Learning Objective/Exit Outcomes:
- Students will be able to have a conversation about the art they see, using various art terminology.
- Students will be able to let the art influence their thoughts about ratios.
- Students will be introduced to the basic rules of ratios.
- Students will be able to talk about art and ratios on the most basic level.
Integration Area/Subject:
Math & Visual Art
State Standards:
MGSE6.RP.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.
VA6.RE.3 Engage in the process of art criticism to make meaning and increase visual literacy.
- Write responses to works of art through various approaches.
Materials/Playing Space:
Multiple pieces of art
Description:
The PAIR Specialist started the activity by asking the students what they thought of when hearing the word “art.” This allows the students to become art experts and doesn’t put any added pressure on the teacher to teach art standards. Instead, the teacher can simply apply the art they already know to the lesson.
Once the students finished saying the different things they thought of when hearing the word “art,” the PAIR Specialist asked the students to look at three different pictures of art. They were Mondrian, a jelly bean rendition of Starry Night, and a Mandala with both 2D and 3D elements. (The key to picking art pieces is to find art that interests you and what you think your students would like. If you think it is boring, they will too. You don’t have to pick famous art for it to work.)
We talked about the different pieces using art terminology that the students had said at the beginning of the lesson. We talked about color, line, shape, texture, medium, 2D and 3D art, and shadow and how these words pertained to the art pieces.
The teacher then introduced the very basic form of ratios. “Ratios compare two things.”
We then looked at Mondrian and talked about shape and color. We made ratios for the number of squares and rectangles and ratios for the number of blue vs. red. We looked at the jelly bean art of Starry Night. And compared the number of jelly beans of the different colors and different shades of colors and formed ratios. Finally, we looked at the Mandala and created a ratio of the 2D parts and the 3D parts of the piece.
The teacher wrapped up with a quick discussion about what they would be doing with ratios the next class.
Notes:
Have fun with it and let your students be the art experts! Pick pieces of art that you like to look at!