Tessellations

Overview

Objective: Students will create their own tesselations and research and formulate opinions on M.C Escher.

Activity Type/Purpose: Individual creations by students along with guided questions to facilitate connecting art and mathematics

Audience: Geometry Classroom

Create a Tessellation

You can assign point values for this I typically score it on a rubric from 0-5 and have the categories of Organization, Complexity of Design, Completeness, Creativity, and Following Directions. I also give a participation grade (10-15 pts), so if they are absent or not working in class I take off points.

Use the internet and given resources to look at different types of tessellations. Then create and execute your own tessellation. Be sure to make it unique. The hard/more complex the more complexity points can be obtained. Both the project and the template will be turned in.

Written Response

You can have them submit their written responses via google docs, paper/pencil or typed. I typically make this about 20 points.

Create a written response to the following questions after reading the given passages.

Questions:

What was the idea or theme behind your tessellation?

What polygons and transformations were used to create your tessellation?

Were Escher and other mathematicians or artists?

What evidence supports your claim?

What are the written opinions of others?

Which reading was most impactful on your opinion and why?

How are tessellation used in everyday life? What are some examples?

Understanding and Practice

This has a few questions that helps wrap up the math side of the project.

Answer the questions on the given resource.

Education Standards

Activity Tasks

Passage 1

Passage 2

Passage 3

Reflections

Rotations

Tessellation Practice

Tips and Tricks

Translations