A Shapely Activity

Designed by: Priscilla McPheeters, Caughman Road Elementary

Grade Level: Fourth     Subject: Mathematics

Core Curriculum Objective: 
Identify polygons based on the number of sides. (4GS111) 

Connect geometry and spatial sense to other aspects of mathematics and to other disciplines. (4GS5-7)

Overview: Students will explore various ways of identifying ceramic tiles. The teacher will guide the discussion to identifying polygons by the number of sides. The students will then sort the ceramic tiles by the number of sides on each piece. The students will explore the use of shape in ceramic tile. The students will be shown many different examples on the Internet and in the school environment. The students will measure and create a tile mosaic of their choice either whole group or individual.

Focus Question: 
How can we identify polygons? 
How do we use polygons in a real-world situation? 
What other aspects of mathematics do we use?

Time Frame: Four and a half hour class periods.

Resources/Materials:

Ceramic tiles of different size and shape. (These can be donated from a tile center store) 

2 tubes of adhesive caulk 

Caulk gun 

1/4 inch plywood of the negotiated size 

1bag of grout 

water 

bucket 

sponges 

rulers 

paper (lined and unlined) 

construction paper 

Averkey 

Ziplock bags 

A Cloak for a Dreamer by Aileen Friedman 

Web Sites 
monteryceramictile.com/ - A great resource of household tile http://

www.wunderland.com/WTS/Jake/cubeArt - An interesting site of art created using Rubik's cubes

members.tripod.com/eliathaniz/mosaic-history.htm#top - A history of Mosaic Art

www.tunisiaonline.com/mosaics/mosaics.html - Great photos of historic mosaics

Culminating Assessment: Students will create a mosaic with ceramic tiles. The students will first decide if they want to create a design as a group or individually. The students will then decide on the size and shape of their mosaic. The students will create the agreed upon size and shape using a ruler on their blank sheet of white paper. The students will then explore and create a rough draft of their design within the shape drawn on the paper using the ceramic tiles to trace the actual shape. The students will identify the shapes they used in their design in writing and explain why they chose each shape and how it effected their design. The students will analyze the mosaic process and list the other aspects of mathematics they used in the mosaic project. The mosaic and the written portion will be scored by the following rubric.

0 no evidence 
1 attempted (many mistakes) 
2 completed (few mistakes) 
3 completed (no mistakes)

 Instructional Activities: (The students should have previous experience with creating designs with pattern blocks.) 

Activity One

 Have the box of tiles setting out to create interest in the lesson. Tell the students they are going to create their own design using the tiles. Ask the students how can we identify each of the shapes? Hold up some of the different ceramic tile shapes. Write their responses on the board. Pass out Ziploc bags randomly filled with ceramic tiles to students grouped in pairs. Have the children explore with the different ways they came up with identifying shapes. The teacher will guide the students to finally group the tiles by the number of sides. The teacher will use the appropriate mathematical terms (i.e triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, octagon etc.. )"Do all the triangles look the same?" "Can you think of another triangle that has the same number of sides but looks different?" "Why do we have tile in different shapes?"

Read A Cloak for a Dreamer 

Discuss how the different shapes made different designs and how when you use one shape you can create patterns with color. 

Discuss how the book was about cloth, but where have you seen tile?

Homework: Look for tile outside of school. What shape tiles did you see? Have the students create their own chart containing this information; where the tile was and what shape tile was used. Was color used to create an interesting design?

Activity Two: 

Ask students to share their charts of where they found tile outside of school. Note* The teacher needs to have checked out the school . Usually you can find tile in the bathrooms. Take a trip to the entrance of a restroom or other area in school where tile is used. The teacher asks. "What shape tile is used?" "Was color used to create an interesting design?"

Go back to the classroom. Using the Averkey access the website on household tile. Given the information that you have found and what you see here ask, "What shapes are most commonly used?" "What happens when different shapes are added?" The teacher guides the students to see that as different polygons are added to a tile pattern it becomes more decorative and not just utilitarian. The teacher using the Averkey shows the students a web-site on mosaics. The students see that many different designs can be created using the different polygons. The students can see how mosaics have been made by different cultures throughout history. Handout and go over the rubric for the mosaic project. The class then needs to decide on a group design or individual projects. If the class chooses a group design then it must be planned and each person given a portion to be responsible for. The class must decide on a size If the class decides to do individual projects they then must decide on a size. If the number in your class is a prime then you can also create a mosaic so you can create an even size. Example: If there are 19 children in your class, you can make it twenty. The class can then decide on an array that will have an area of 20 units. 5x4, 4x5, 2x10 or 1x20 The children need to, with some guiding by the teacher, decide what size each person will be responsible for. 4"x4" or 5"x5" (I found 6"x6" to be a good size, but whatever works for you. Once the class has decided on a size you can find scrap lumber at any hardware, Home Depot or Lowes).

Close the activity by having the children think about the different uses of tile and how the shape or color of the tile changes how it looks. Review how artists, decorators, and builders use shape.

Activity Three

Have the computer web-site on mosaics book-marked for the students to access if they wish Have the book A cloak for a Dreamer available Remind the students of the agreed upon size of their mosaic or their piece of the group project. Pass out rulers and blank paper. Have the students create the desired dimensions on their sheet of paper. ( i.e. a 5"x5" square) Then allow the students to explore for 30 minutes using the ceramic tiles to create their design. They may sit in co-operative groups and work on their individual projects. At 20 minutes give the students a ten-minute warning that they need to trace the design that they have decided on onto their sheet within the measured shape. The teacher will walk around the class giving feedback to the students For any students that finish early, have the plywood available for the group or individual projects to be measured and have those students help you measure the individual shapes. (Hint: leave a 1/2 inch around the mosaic for error) At the end of 30 minutes, clean up and have the children place their tiles in zip-lock bags with their names on them.

Close the lesson by having students share what they thought was the hardest and what they thought was the easiest part of creating their design.

Activity Four

Review the names of the different number sided polygons orally. Have the students reconstruct their design by the rough draft paper they created in the previous lesson. Assign each person to check another student's design and give constructive feedback. *Remind the students that the criteria for the mosaic is; that it fit in the desired size and that there is a clear design or part of the class design. Students can then revise their designs or begin to work on their written portion. 

Written Portion 

1) The student will create a list and identify all the shapes used by their appropriate mathematical term. 

2) The student will explain why they chose certain shapes in their design and how those shapes changed the appearance of the student's design. As students finish their rough draft of their written portion have them bring up their design to you to adhere to the plywood. Using the caulk gun squeeze out a small amount of caulk onto the back of each tile and have the student place it on the plywood according to their rough draft. The students then need to find a partner to help them edit their written portion. The student will write their final copy of their written portion independently. The students will put the rough draft of their design and their final copy of their written portion together to be put in the class mosaic book. Students who finish early may help other students still working. The caulk needs to dry overnight before you grout. Stop the class 10 minutes from dismissal for cleanup.

Give students a chance to share about the experience so far. What did they not expect? How did they feel seeing their design glued down?

Activity Five

This should only take half of this time period. Have the mosaic set up in a place that can be cleaned up. The grout is very messy! Have the grout already mixed and allow students to put in a hand-full of grout, then rinse their hands in a bucket and sit down. This should allow for everyone to participate. The tile needs to be wiped with sponges as the grout dries. You can assign different students during the day to wipe the tile. The teacher assesses the student's rough draft, written portion and finished product by the rubric given in the culminating assessment. The students can have an unveiling when the mosaic is dry and hang it on the wall or make a table out of it. The class mosaic book needs to have a picture of the finished mosaic, the student's rough drafts and written portions, and a section at the back for parent comments on this project. The book will be sent home with each child, for one night, to share with his/her family.