Grade Level/Subject/Topic: 5th/Art/M.C. Escher & Tessellations
Joshua Kendall, Art Teacher
Standards Addressed:
The standards that will be addressed will be the 5th grade Virginia Sols for the visual arts. The
following Sols will be covered:
5.3
The student will use the elements of art—line, shape, form, color, value, texture, and
space—to express ideas, images, and emotions.
5.4
The student will create repeating patterns, using translation (slide), reflection (flip), and
rotation (turn).
5.5
The student will use the principles of design, including proportion, rhythm/pattern,
balance, emphasis, variety, contrast, and unity, to express ideas and create images.
5.6
The student will develop ideas for works of art by brainstorming, conducting research,
and making preliminary sketches.
Pre-Assessment:
Pre-Assessment will be based on work the students are currently working on and from work they
have done in the past. The student will also do a simple tessellation by tracing their hand to see
how well they understand the terms translation, reflection and rotation.
Defining the Learning Goals: What the student will:
Know (Facts/Vocabulary):
Mauritus Cornelis Escher (M.C. Escher) – Born on June 17, 1898 in the Dutch providence of
Friesland. Passed away on March 27, 1972. Known for his compositions that use tessellations.
Tessellation - A repeating pattern that contains no gaps or overlaps.
Transformation – changing the position of a shape or object on the work surface by translation
(sliding), reflection (flipping) or rotation (turning).
Translation (slide) – An object that is slid vertically (up and down), horizontally (left to right),
or diagonally (slanted) across the work surface.
Reflection (flip) – An object that is flipped in the opposite direction and is shown as a reverse or
mirror image after it is flipped on the work surface.
Rotation (turn) – An object that is turned in a circular motion either clockwise, to the right or
counter clockwise, or to the left on the work surface.
Positive space – The object(s) being created on the work surface.
Negative space – Empty space around and in between the created objects on the work surface.
Composition – The placement of visual elements to create a whole work of art by using different
techniques (methods) and mediums (material used to create art).
Understand (Big Ideas):
 Patterns occur all around us such as in music, gaming, clothing and behavior patterns in
the people around us.
 Recognizing patterns can help us in our school career in more advanced math classes,
such as geometry. Learning how to apply these concepts will allow students to create
more visually complex compositions.
HCS
Do (Specific Skills student is able to do after the lesson):
 Identify and use translations, reflections, and rotations in their artwork.
 Create and label a project using one or all types of transformations for math
Materials/Supplies:
Projector, screen, laptop, project example, handouts, visual aids, pencils, 9”x12”white paper,
4”x4” squares of poster board, scissors, scrap paper, rulers, markers and crayons.
Procedures/Activities
Day 1: The Student Will:
 Get a handout of the vocabulary listed above and the short bio of M.C. Escher. The
handout will also include examples of M.C. Escher’s work.
 Read the information on the handout when they are called on by the teacher.
 Watch a slide show presentation that shows examples of Escher’s work.
 Identify the use of translation, reflection, and rotation in Escher’s tessellations. They will
also identify the positive and negative space in Escher’s works.
 Watch a demonstration about the difference between translation, reflection, and rotation.
 Get a sheet of paper and draw an example of translation, reflection, and rotation by
tracing their hand to see how well they understand the information.
 Talk about their work and examine their ability to draw and identify translation,
reflection, and rotation.
 Be identified as high, medium and low based on their understanding of the information.
 Watch a demonstration about the project and see the dos and don’ts about creating their
on tessellations. TSW be given a list of dos and don’ts for the project.
 Take the handout home everyday they do the project and study it for post-assessment.
Day 2: The Student Will:
 Get a short review that covers the steps of the project before starting it.
 Get a sheet of scrap paper, pencils, and rulers when they sit down.
 Start their project by making preliminary sketches to brainstorm ideas.
 Get their 4”x4” square piece of poster board, scissors, 9”x12” sheet of paper, crayons,
and markers.
 Choose their best idea or the one that will work best for them and draw it on the poster
board square. (Students will complete the project on different skill levels – higher
abilities will create a more complicated tessellation and lower skill levels will create a
tessellation assigned by the teacher so that they can be successful.)
 Cut out their drawing carefully and slowly to create a stencil for their project very
 Proceed to put the stencil on the 9”x12” sheet of paper and begin tracing it.
 Use 1 of the 3 methods to create their tessellation which is translation, reflection, and
rotation. Students with high artistic skill will be encouraged to use reflection or rotation.
Students with low artistic skill will be encouraged to use translation. Any student in the
middle will be encouraged to use reflection and to try to use rotation if possible.
 Finish using the stencil when the surface is covered and there are no overlaps.
© Henry County Schools 2007
HCS
Day 3: The Student Will:
 Examine their work and fix any mistakes they see in their composition.
 Examine the negative space (empty space) between the objects and come up with a
picture to fill the empty space.
 Fill each empty space with the same picture until there are no more gaps. Students who
have trouble seeing an image in the empty spaces can fill the gaps using a pattern of
simple shapes and lines.
 Add color to their work by using crayons, markers, or both. The student will need to
make sure their coloring follows a pattern to bring the whole composition together.
 Finish their project by examining their composition to check that all gaps are filled and
the color is applied correctly.
 High students who understood the material well and finished early may free draw their
own picture.
 Middle students who were able to complete the project but had a little difficulty
understanding the terms will be encouraged to free draw their own tessellation using any
shape they want. They will be encouraged to focus on the transformation they struggled
with.
 Low students who struggled with the material will be encouraged to create a simpler
tessellation to help them understand the terms discussed for the project. These students
will be asked to draw 3 small tessellations that focus on translation, rotation, and
reflection.
(If) Differentiated Instruction:
What?
content
process
product
How?
Readiness
interest
learning profile
Why (What prompted you to differentiate in this way)? A 5th grade math teacher is trying to
teach transformations and tessellations in math and asked me to try integrating math concepts
with Art. Since these math concepts parallel art concepts, I thought it would be a great
opportunity to use DI to help the students learn these concepts and see the connection between
art and math.
Anchor Activities:
o Free Draw
o Work on your own tessellation
Post-Assessment:
Each student will be at a different artistic skill level and will be critiqued fairly based on their
skill. They will be critiqued on neatness, completion of work, and following directions.
The student will be called to discuss their work and will be asked questions about the project.
Questions may include the following:
What transformation did you use?
Did you use more than one transformation, and if so which ones did you use?
© Henry County Schools 2007
HCS
What is a tessellation?
What are translations, rotations, and reflections?
The student will also be shown pictures of Escher’s work and ask to identify them and the year
they were made.
Closure:
Teacher:
 5 to 10 minutes before class is over, briefly discuss the next project and ask the students
to prepare by doing research.
Students:
 Write down the topic for the next project.
 Do research by either using their home computer or school computer. Student can also
check out books in the library.
Teacher Reflection:
(What went well? What would you do differently? Why?)
© Henry County Schools 2007
HCS
Handout
Mauritus Cornelis Escher (M.C. Escher) – Born on June 17, 1898 in the Dutch providence of
Friesland. Passed away on March 27, 1972. Known for his compositions that use tessellations.
Tessellation - A repeating pattern that contains no gaps or overlaps.
Transformation – changing the position of a shape or object on the work surface by translation
(sliding), reflection (flipping) or rotation (turning).
Translation (slide) – An object that is slid vertically (up and down), horizontally (left to right),
or diagonally (slanted) across the work surface.
Reflection (flip) – An object that is flipped in the opposite direction and is shown as a reverse or
mirror image after it is flipped on the work surface.
Rotation (turn) – An object that is turned in a circular motion either clockwise, to the right or
counter clockwise, to the left on the work surface.
Positive space – The object(s) being created on the work surface.
Negative space – Empty space around and in between the created objects on the work surface.
Composition – The placement of visual elements to create a whole work of art by using different
techniques (methods) and mediums (materials used to create art).
M.C. Escher
Sun and Moon
1948
M.C. Escher
Relativity
1953
© Henry County Schools 2007
HCS
M.C. Escher
Reptiles
1943
Project Do’s and Don’ts List
Do’s
Don’ts
Take your time.
Do not rush through the project.
Use complex shapes.
*If it is too hard for you to do, change your
design to make it easier to draw. Talk with
your teacher to brainstorm changes or come up
with a new design.
Color everything completely.
Don’t make your stencil a simple shape.
Ex: triangles, squares, circles, rectangles,
etc…
* If you are unsure if it is a simple shape,
ask the teacher.
Do not scribble.
Try it on your own the first time, the
second time, and then the third time.
Do not give up before or on your
first try.
Be creative!
Don’t copy the teacher or your classmates.
Do your own work!
Don’t have someone else do your work.
Draw lightly and darken when
needed.
Don’t start drawing dark, because it
leads to smudges when you erase.
Be neat and erase mistakes completely.
Don’t be sloppy.
Listen and Follow Directions!!!
Don’t repeatedly ask how to do
the project because you were not
listening.
© Henry County Schools 2007