Math Art Part 1: Fraction circle art (3rd-5th)

by C. Elkins, OK Math and Reading Lady

Incorporating art with other subjects is a great way to engage students. In this post I will share one project which helps students gain hands-on experience with fractions. More to come in future posts.

Fraction Circle Art

This project is inspired by Ed Emberley’s book “Picture Pie.” This is my favorite of his collection in which he shows dozens of ways to use fractions of circles to create almost anything. This book features mostly animals, flowers, and geometric designs. Students start with a circle (pre-cut with a circle cutting press is best, but you can also make nice circles by tracing around a can or drinking glass and cutting them out). Then the circle is folded and cut into these different fractional parts to create the design: halves, fourths, eighths, and sixteenths. These pieces are manuevered (think translations!!) and combined to make the desired art.

The pictured creations were made by 3rd and 4th graders during a session I conducted with them at Eisenhower Elementary. Here are a few of them.  So nice!!

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