A lesson shaping up right

Suzie Harrison

Marrying art and math is a concept Top of the World Elementary School

second-grade students in Linda Barker’s class are mastering.

“Art has a lot of mathematical concepts that I like to incorporate

into it,” Barker said. “It helps the students to learn about balance

and congruency.”

Each month the class creates a different glyph, which Barker

explained as pictures or symbols representing a word or

characteristic of someone or something.

“Glyph’s tells us about people or gives us information,” Barker

said.

On Wednesday, students worked with hearts and made a symmetrical

Valentine picture that identifies the characteristics of each

student.

“At the end of the year, they’ll have a book of glyphs that they

can interpret,” Barker said. “Most recently we’ve been working with

plane shapes with geometry, learning three-dimensional shapes and

spheres.”

The class discussed math patterns, symmetry and congruency and

terms such as vertex, horizontal and vertical before starting the

project.

Students used the chart at the front of the class to place each

heart and discern their individual characteristics. Heart

configuration and color were identifying factors for such things as

age, where they live, pets and how they got to school.

“When we put it all together it’s going to look like a heart

quilt,” Barker said.

Makenzie Fischer, 7, said her work shows that she lives in Laguna

Beach.

“It says I ride the bus to school,” Makenzie said. “And it says

I’m a female student, and do not have a pet.”

Alex Jensen, 7, was quick to explain he was learning how to do

designs using math.

“I’m learning about glyphs and how they work,” Nicholas Reickhoff,

8, said. “Glyphs tell about things you make, using a key it will tell

you about the glyph. It’s not very hard.”

Lauren Spera, 8, pointed to the truth in the shapes.

“Glyphs tell about what we do and what we have,” Lauren said. “It

always tells the truth. It’s important to have the same shapes in

each section; it means it’s symmetrical, everywhere it has to be the

same.”

Lauren liked that they’re learning how people are different than

other people.

The whole class seemed to have their hearts in the project.