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Activity 1

Standards Alignment

Building On

Addressing

Building Toward

Instructional Routines

None

Materials

To Copy (from Blackline Masters)

Centimeter Grid Paper - Standard

To Gather

Colored pencils, crayons, or markers Grid paper Rulers or straightedges

Activity Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to create their own artwork composed of rectangles. In this activity, students draw lines on grid paper, marking out rectangular areas that will be the basis for their Mondrian-inspired artwork. Students have to choose three mathematical constraints to incorporate into their work. They get to make choices about what their artwork may depict, how many rectangles to use, and how to color their art to emphasize the choices they made. When students consider assumptions about information not given in a situation, they model with mathematics (MP4). To create their finished artwork, students trace the outline on the back of their grid paper and color it to emphasize the choices they made in their design. When tracing their design on the back of the grid paper, it helps to place the grid paper over another piece of white paper to make the design on the other side easier to see.

Action and Expression: Internalize Executive Functions. Check for understanding by inviting students to rephrase directions in their own words. Keep a display of Mondrian’s paintings visible throughout the activity.
Supports accessibility for: Memory, Organization

Launch

Groups of 2
“We are going to create our own art pieces that are inspired by Mondrian’s artwork. The artwork will use rectangles like Mondrian, but you can try to make your art look like something in the real world or you can make it abstract like Mondrian. Think about how you would like to design your artwork.”
1 minute: quiet think time
Share responses.
“Read the directions independently for how you will design your art.”
1 minutes: independent work time
Invite the class to ask clarifying questions, but emphasize that they will make choices about any details that aren't given in the task.
As needed, clarify that students may use the blanks beside each item in the list to check off the three constraints they choose for their artwork.
Give students grid paper, a straightedge, and black markers or crayons.

Activity

“Once you are happy with your design, turn over your paper and trace your design with a black marker or crayon, then color it to emphasize the choices you made.”
15-20 minutes: independent work time

Use grid paper to create a plan for your own artwork that uses at least 12 rectangles.
1. The areas of the rectangles should represent at least three of the following:
  
  _____ all the factors of a number
  
  _____ at least 6 multiples of a number
  
  _____ prime numbers
  
  _____ composite numbers
2. Explain or show your reasoning.
Turn your grid paper over and trace your design with a black marker or crayon. Color the design to emphasize the choices you made and give your artwork a title.

Student Response

Activity Synthesis

“Compare your finished work with a partner. What is alike and different about your outlines?” (They are alike because they show only rectangles, but the way they are arranged and their sizes are different.)

Activity 2

Standards Alignment

Building On

Addressing

Building Toward

Instructional Routines

None

Materials

None

Activity Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to use their understanding of factor pairs, prime, and composite numbers to analyze their peers’ artwork. After trading artwork, students identify the constraints that their partner incorporated into their artwork. Students should begin with looking at their partner's completed artwork, but can look at their original design if they have trouble identifying what constraints their partner used.

MLR8 Discussion Supports. Synthesis: Display the following sentence frames to support whole-class discussion: “To find rectangles with areas that were all a multiple of the same number, I looked for . . .”, “To find rectangles with an area that is prime, I looked for . . .”, and “To find rectangles with an area that is composite, I looked for . . . .”
Advances: Speaking, Representing

Launch

Groups of 2
“Switch artwork with your partner.”
"Look at your partner's work and find how they used factors, multiples, prime numbers, or composite numbers in their artwork. Then take turns sharing what you found in each other's artwork."
"Start by looking at your partner's finished artwork. If you can't see how they used factors, multiples, prime numbers, or composite numbers, turn over their artwork and look at their original design to make it easier to see."

Activity

3–5 minutes: independent work time
3–5 minutes: partner discussion
Monitor for students who incorporated different math elements in their artwork to share in the Activity Synthesis.

Trade artwork with your partner.

Describe which of the following you see in the area of the rectangles in your partner's artwork:

It shows all the factors of a number.
It shows at least 6 multiples of a number.
It shows prime numbers.
It shows composite numbers.

Student Response

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Advancing Student Thinking

Activity Synthesis

Invite previously selected students to share their artwork.
As students share their artwork, invite the class to identify the math elements they incorporated into their artwork.