This lesson is optional because it does not address new mathematical content standards. It does provide students with an opportunity to apply precursor skills of mathematical modeling (MP4). 

In previous lessons, students worked with factors and multiples, and determined if numbers were prime or composite. In this lesson, students create a piece of artwork that is based on the area of rectangles and multiplication facts within 100. They begin by learning about Piet Mondrian and analyzing a number of his abstract paintings. They recognize that the paintings are composed of rectangles—some with the same area and some with different areas.

Students then create a plan for their own Mondrian-inspired artwork, adhering to some constraints around incorporating factors, multiples, prime numbers, and composite numbers into the rectangles they use. They also get to make choices about how to arrange the rectangles, which constraints to use, and the theme of their artwork. Students examine each other's artwork to identify the constraints that were used in the creation of the artwork.

With which math ideas from today’s lesson did students grapple most? Did this surprise you or was this what you expected?