|
Summary and Objective
Students will understand that geometry terms can be applied in the examination and appreciation of historical quilts. This lesson therefore works best as a follow-up to a completed geometry unit.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
As a pre-activity, the teacher reads aloud to the class the book "The Greedy Triangle" by Marilyn Burns.
Step 2.
It would be helpful for the geometry terms being learned to be displayed on a math word wall. These could include the names of various polygons, types of angles and lines. The variety of terms will depend on the grade level of the students.
Step 3.
The teacher should present the first quilt (Rising Star Quilt) to the class, preferably by accessing the website. First discuss when the quilt was made, by whom, for what reason, etc. Then ask what math housewives and craftspeople might have used in their work. Now say, "Let's take a look!"and have the children use the "Zoom in for a Closer Look" feature. The teacher would start by asking what shapes do they observe? The shapes observed (rhombus, hexagon, triangle, square, etc.) can be listed on chart paper.
Step 4.
Once the Rising Star quilt has been examined and discussed, the class can be divided into groups to explore the remaining four quilts while on line. If this isn't possible, make copies of the quilts.
Step 5.
Students can be asked to sketch the particular patch of quilt they are examining and label what they have found. The teacher can use this as an assessment.
Step 6.
A follow-up activity would be to have each student design their own quilt square using geometric shapes to form the pattern. A variety of materials can be used such as colored paper, oaktag, felt, wallpaper, or even wrapping paper! They could swap squares and challenge their classmates to find the shapes in the pattern! This could lead to interesting discussions.
Step 7.
Afterwards the individual squares can be glued to a large sheet of paper forming your class's own Geo Quilt! This could lead to a future lesson on tessellations!
Step 8.
Two books I would like to recommend to extend this activity into poetry and creative writing sessions are Pieces, A Year in Poems & Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines and The Seasons Sewn, A Year in Patchwork by Ann Whitford Paul.
|
