NORWIN SCHOOL DISTRICT
LESSON PLAN
Miss Molli Brown
SUBJECT: Tessellations
STATE VISUAL ART STANDARDS:
9.1 –A. B., C., E.
9.2 – D.
9.3 – A. B. C.
9.4 – B. D.
STATE MATH STANDARD:
2.9.5 - G
DATE: February 2009
6 – 42 minute periods
OBJECTIVES:
1. Students will develop an awareness of
three different types of tessellations and
how they fit together.
2. By making their own tessellations,
student will create interesting objects that
interlock and do not overlap.
3. Students will be able to print and
understand the printmaking process in
making a tessellation.
PROCEDURES/ACTIVITIES:
Day 1:
1. Show video; Tessellations: How to Create Them by Jim McNeill. Identify simple
tessellations in the classroom. Show Power Point presentation on M.C. Escher. Identify
translation, rotation, and reflection tessellations in Escher’s work.
Day 2:
Demonstrate step-by-step how to make a tessellations. Give each student a 3 inch
square of oak-tag and a tessellation hand-out of grid design. Using the hand-out have
the students cut and make their own tessellation shape from oak-tag. When completed
the students will lightly trace their tessellation shape onto a foam printing plate. Cut out
the tessellation and save. Have the student’s draw grid lines on a 12X18 inch white
piece of drawing paper to later use for the drawn tessellated design and a 12X12 inch
piece of colored construction for printing their tessellation.
Day 3:
Demonstrate how to layout the tessellation onto the grid paper. Using their oak tag
pattern have the students trace their tessellation onto the 12X18 inch white paper. This
will be good practice before they begin to print.
Day 4:
Set up a station for printmaking. Demonstrate how to print your tessellation onto the
paper. Have two students at a time come to the station to print their tessellation onto
their colored construction paper. While some students are printing, the other students
will continue to trace their tessellation onto the white drawing paper and begin to add
details with marker or colored pencil.
Printed tessellations will be put on the drying rack.
Day 6:
Students can add details to their printed tessellations with fine line sharpie marker.
**CAREER CONNECTION**- Students will read a brief handout on being a pattern
maker. The handout is from an Arts Scholastic magazine with a short interview they did
of a young woman who is a pattern designer. A career profile is also listed on the page.
MATERIALS:
Power point of M.C. Escher, Video,
Tessellation handout, various colors of
12X12 construction paper, 12X12 white
drawing paper, rulers, 3 inch squares of
oak-tag, foam printing plates, ink,
brayers, plastic spoons, pencils,
erasers, scissors, tape, markers,
colored pencils.
ADAPTATIONS:
 Use lightweight cardboard for
template
 Construction paper shapes for
position and paste tessellation
 Photocopied squares with design
for color and paste tessellation
 Assist in taping tessellation
together
 Pre-grid construction paper
 Pre-made tessellated designs for
Life Skills
 A “placemat” that can be used to
check their grid to make sure
measurements are correct.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION: - 100 points
A- creating a tessellation
C- creating a tessellated design
E- details
S- printing
S- name, room, number, days absent
VOCABULARY:
Tessellation: translation, rotation, and
reflection
repetition, grid, printing, printmaking, brayer,
plate