My students need 20 packs of construction paper and 36 Masonite panels.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Phillips's classroom raised $450
This project is fully funded
My Students
Students struggle to recognize that math and design intersect in their world, everyday. The goal of this project will be to re-construct, with geometric accuracy, some of the marble mosaics of the Basilica San Marco in Venice. Then, we will discover the hidden patterns which govern their design.
The students attend a charter high school.
They are urban, with everything that comes with that. But they're hungry, if you can find a way to feed their minds, in a manner in which they'll partake. No easy task, but I've learned it's possible.
It's a combination of curiosity, alchemy, persuasion and just enthusiasm. This is the kind of thing that would knock off their socks: the idea that there are 'hidden' messages encoded into the everyday world through proportion, pattern and geometry. When they first saw the arrow in the 'FEDEX' logo, they were blown away. Imagine if they realized the ground they walked upon was potentially a cosmic pattern?
My Project
The materials are pretty simple: hardboard and colored paper. From these we will create intricate patterns based upon a floor built in the 11th and 12th century, half a world away. Part of the beauty of the project is the simplicity of the materials. I vividly remember being part of a similar project in college. When the instructor then explained the geometry behind the design, I was stunned. I'd spent hours touching the papers and never saw 'it'. That was almost 30 years ago. Still remember.
To participate in the world, you must be able to describe the world.
Students find it too easy to assume there is nothing there to describe - it's all superficial and meaningless. This project is aimed at that misunderstanding. The world is marvelous, and full of messages to 'decode' if only we try.
Coupled to this are fundamental connections to math skills, something too many students assume has no connection to design. But, if you 'know', then you live in the alchemy of a marvelous world.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Phillips and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.