Author: dacline

MATH
Have a class discussion on geometric shapes and discuss why a puzzle with all the same size and shape pieces might be more challenging than a puzzle with irregular shaped pieces.

HISTORY
According to history, jigsaw puzzles date back to the 1760’s when European mapmakers glued maps on wood and then cut them into tiny pieces. John Spilsbury, a mapmaker, has been credited with inventing the first jigsaw puzzle in 1767. Try making a puzzle of the classroom using square pieces.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Have the students make a list of words that connect to the butterfly and it’s life cycle, have them write on the puzzle and identify the various stages.

SCIENCE
Talk about the life cycle of the butterfly and how color can either make the butterfly very beautiful and visible in it’s environment, or how the colors can work as a camouflage when it lands in a flowerbed of brightly colored flowers.

EXTENSION
Have a contest to see which student or team of students can put together the puzzle the fastest. Have the students draw extra elements, like flowers on the page to make the puzzle more challenging.

MATH
In some animations, there may be 24 frames (or pieces of art) running per second. Calculate how many drawings it would take to create an animated film that was one hour long.

HISTORY
Expressionism began about 1905, with a group of German artists. This type of art tries to convey emotion and meaning rather than reality. Each artist had their own unique way of “expressing” their emotions in their art. In order to express emotion, the subjects are often distorted or exaggerated. At the same time colors are often vivid and shocking. Discuss how the blob art compares to expressionistic art.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Create different poetry or stories to go with the blob art the students create. Go to the TPT page for more instructions on how to create the art.

SCIENCE
Tie the blob art into a study of animal habitats. Have the students create different environments for their blob art and talk about the distinction between prey and predator.

EXTENSION
Try creating a flip book of blob art, then make clay sculpture pieces of the blob characters to help hold the flip books. Display the flip books with the 3-D sculptures during an open house event at school.

MATH
Talk about circles, sets and pairs used in combination with one another. In the Braille alphabet, how many odd and even raised circles can be counted for each letter, can any correlations be made associating the number of circles to the letters?

HISTORY
Louis Braille (1809-1952) was blind from the age of three. In 1818 he attended the National Institute for
the Young Blind in Paris. Talk about how the Braille system has been modified and is used successfully in many countries today.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Have a class discussion on different techniques used in writing (like logo-graphics and typographical techniques). Have students create a coded message using the Braille technique, go to TPT for page templates.

SCIENCE
Discuss the importance of vision and some optical diseases that can alter sight. Discuss how technology can assist the visually impaired and what possible volunteer opportunities may be available through guide dog organizations.

EXTENSION
A full braille cell consists of six raised dots arranged in two parallel vertical columns of three dots. Try using dice to come up with different letter and word combinations.

MATH
Have a class discussion on symmetry and reflection, then contrast and compare geometric shapes to irregular organic outlines.

HISTORY
Balancing acts are often used by circus performers. Have a class discussion about how and why this became so popular all over the world and talk about the different ways balancing acts can be used today in theatrical performances.

LANGUAGE ARTS
Study the art of using interjections, talk about how using exclamatory sentences, can verbally transfer an emotion, for example talk about how using the word “ooh” might be used to express amazement, or excitement while watching a balancing act being performed. Make a list of other interjections.

SCIENCE
Contrast and compare the Aboriginal dot like art to other famous art styles like Pointillism. Create a Venn diagram to visually show the similarities and differences.

EXTENSION
Have a contest and let students tape different coins or other objects to the clown’s hands, and discover which elements work better, and video tape the results then play back for a class critique.