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Arts/Math Integration Project

Ceramic Vase Building Project

Overview | CRM | Achievements | Activities | Resources

TIME FRAME: 6 days

OVERVIEWceramic
The project involves integrating the creation of ceramic vases with geometric concepts from mathematics. The mathematics concepts include measurement skills in length, area, volume, shrinkage and absorption calculations, scaling, and tessellation patterns with symmetry, and transformational geometry. The art components include designing, measuring, dimensioning and building a vessel from a template guideline or a designated extrusion form. The process of creating the vase, drying the clay, firing the vase in a kiln (“bisque”) and doing a final glaze firing, will demonstrate real world mathematics concepts.

Target Audience:

  • Grades 9 – 12
  • Students needing additional practice or review with:
  • Using geometric formulas
  • Geometric transformations, (rotations, reflections, etc.)

CRMS:
Number sense: 4.3, Geometry: 5.2, 5.3

WASHINGTON MATH STANDARDS:
M1.3, M1.4, M1.1B

ACHIEVMENTS:

At the end of this unit students will know and be able to:

  • Design and construct a vase which follows the cutout guideline the student premeasured and designed earlier or the extrusion selected.
  • Calculate volume and surface area of the vase and determine the amount of material needed to create vase.
  • Determine the volume and surface area of vase.
  • Determine the percent of shrinkage in the four stages of the vase (wet, dry, bisque firing and glaze firing).
  • Describe the patterns on the vase in terms of tessellations, symmetry, and transformational geometry using terms like “rotation” “reflection” “translation” “glide reflection” “rotational symmetry” “reflective symmetry”.
  • Utilize scaling to draw a two-dimensional image of the three-dimensional object
  • Reflect on process of designing Measuring, Dimensioning, and Building Process.

SAMPLE ACTIVITIES:

  • Origins of Clay and Clay Stages
  • Hand-building Techniques Geometric Analysis Worksheet

RESOURCES

Legacy Project | Got Math Art Journal | Game Design | Glass Casting | Video Games | Ceramic Vase | Music and Math