Art and Math Collaboration

Mt Vernon and Wayne Elementary Schools – SPIRAL

Sarah Caban, RSU #38 math coach, and Dona Seegers, elementary art teacher at Mt Vernon and Wayne Elementary Schools, used the theme of spirals for their second annual Art/Math collaboration. It has been a yearlong inquiry into the essential question: Throughout history, why have so many people enjoyed and used spirals?

This winter Dona was exhibiting with 23 artists and poets in SPIRAL: A Journey Of Growth Without End, an interactive multimedia art show at the new Emery Community Arts Center at UMF. http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/farmington-art-gallery-showcases-spiral-exhibit_2013-01-12.html

K-5 students spent the fall months studying and responding to artists who have spirals in their artwork: painters Van Gogh and Klimt, printmakers Hokusai and Hiroshige as well as the rock art of the Southwestern Native Americans.

As a jumping off point for the collaborative unit, Sarah and Dona coordinated field trips to the SPIRAL exhibit. During dynamic mini lessons students experienced the math, science and art of spirals with participating artists as docents. Galaxies, body rhythms, drumming, poetry, nature, mathematical structures and artworks were included.

“I have to tell you how impressive this trip was!  I still can’t believe you got the artists themselves to make presentations at each of the stations. The artists were terrific with the students and their exhibits were inspiring…thank you, thank you” Cheryl Hasenfus, principal Wayne Elementary School.

The following are student reviews: “I didn’t realize there were so many spirals in life.”  “I learned that even animals have adapted to using spirals.” “I learned that you use math to make the Fibonacci spiral.” “The drumming made me feel like a beating heart. We danced and talked. Marty taught us to talk to each other with rhythms.”  “There were spirals in a spiral and we could walk through it.”

Sarah and Dona then team taught in K-5 art classes integrating the Common Core Mathematical Practices: Look for and make use of structure and attend to precision.

Students explored two different spirals; the Fibonacci and the Archimedean.  They identified the structure of each spiral, used their knowledge of the structure to build a Fibonacci and an Archimedean spiral and predicted what would happen to each spiral if it continued to grow.  Students learned about the importance of the Fibonacci number sequence and explored what would happen if Fibonacci had tried to make a spiral with the same size squares.

The two spirals were painted and collaged.  After a gallery walk, students worked together to complete a Venn diagram which compared and contrasted their structures. A similar lesson sequence helped to understand, build, adapt, and compare a helix and a modified Archimedean screw.

Our finale was a combined art exhibit and math learning lab. Students used the math they learned to describe and label their art work.

They answered the essential question, “Throughout history, why have so many people enjoyed and used spirals?” Here are some of their thoughts: “They are food.” “They help us.” “They are used to build things.” “They are in the atmosphere.” They can be used for tools and artwork”  “They make me curious how it all started and how did the world start? It’s like a doorway.”

Students met a variety of learning targets that integrated essential understandings of Math and Art:

• We can explain the characteristics of a spiral
• We understand and can explain the differences and similarities between an Archimedes spiral and a Fibonacci spiral.
• We can explain the characteristics of a Theodorus spiral.
• We understand and can explain the differences and similarities between a helix and an Archimedean screw.
• We can classify spirals by their characteristics.
• We can evaluate and prove whether a spiral is one of the mathematical spirals that we studied.
• We understand and can explain the similarities and differences between artists and mathematicians.
• We understand and can explain the significance of spirals in our world.
• We understand  how to integrate structure into our creative work and can explain how it has impacted our creative work.

“The school-wide Art/Math integrated unit at Mt. Vernon Elementary School is a resounding success! Over a period of months Dona has skillfully introduced the spiral theme to the students through their study and practice of art while Sarah led the investigation of the math behind the Fibonacci sequence. Students used higher order thinking skills to connect all aspects of the spiral to nature and their everyday lives! They deeply questioned, reasoned, and hypothesized, and as a result this study will be a springboard for future inquisitive studies!” Pia Holmes, principal Mt Vernon Elementary School.

Thank you to art teacher Dona Seegers for sending this blog post to share on the meartsed blog.

The Math Gates

Team teaching art and math works!

The following was written by art teacher, Dona Seegers, and RSU#38 district math coach, Sarah Caban, who created a unique team teaching and student learning opportunity at Mt Vernon Elementary School this year. They provided the following information for this blog post sharing their collaborative work.

We are motivated by the excitement of new ideas for presenting our subjects to the students, are eager to experiment and have infectious enthusiasm.

We are interested in having the students discover how integral math is for an artist and how a mathematician benefits from creative thinking abilities with 2D and 3D design vocabulary and concepts.

Math and art share many core features focused on thinking and problem solving. Students become better at math through visual investigations.

Students and teachers alike benefit with two instructors in the room. Dona and Sarah are better able to address students of all levels and to increase student participation. It personalizes the learning experience and students witness us learning from each other.

Students experience the myriad of connections between disciplines while doing creative movement, making Venn Diagrams, using math manipulatives  and participating in art projects.

Algebra and Art were the focus for our 3 week interactive hallway installation titled The Math Gates.

Sarah had been reading about the importance of introducing algebraic thinking in the early grades, inspired by Robert Moses who started The Algebra Project.

Dona was inspired by Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s 2005 art installation of The Gates in New York City’s Central Park. Students learned to temporarily transform an environment through art installation. With the help of the janitor, Craig Dunn, and the district volunteer coordinator, Nancy Mormon, the front hall became a learning lab for algebraic equations K-5. Cloth flags with dots (K), whole numbers (1-4) and fractions (5) hung four across to demonstrate a variety of equations of increasing difficulty.

Object Lessons: Teaching Math Through the Visual Arts K-5 by math educator Caren Holtzman, and art teacher, Lynn Susholtz, has been a fantastic resource this year and the source for all of our collaborations.

Next year we plan to do a project based on the Fibonnaci sequence including a field trip to an art show on this theme at The Emery Community Arts Center in Farmington.

Student comments about The Math Gates; “You are able to do both tasks at the same time. Math and Art are my favorite subjects so it is double the fun.”  “ Sometimes you do art and sometimes you do math, so it evens out in the end.” “Installation is a lot different because you have never heard of it; you need to know both subjects because they come in useful.” “We don’t have other subjects combined.”

Thank you Dona and Sarah for providing this blog post!

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