Lesson plan based on Fallen Warrior
Change the scale of a work of art using ratios, percentages, and proportions.
Skills and Focus: Measuring, Calculation
Subject Area: Mathematics
Thematic Connection: Counting and Calculating
Grade Level: Middle School
Time Needed: 90 minutes
Objectives
• Construct scale drawings from a given image.
• Convert a simple drawing from one scale to another using ratios and proportions.
• Use percentages as a means of comparing different sizes.
Instructional Materials Needed
Butcher paper
Rulers or tape measures
Pencils and markers
Activity
Step 1: Have students measure the printout of the Fallen Warrior. Explain that the size of the original sculpture is 21" high by 31" wide. Using ratios and proportions, have students convert the prior measurements to (a). life—size (dimensions of a real man), and (b). wall size (large enough to fill a portion of a classroom wall, so that the outline approximates the scale of a figure in a mural painting).
Step 2: Using butcher paper, have students make outline drawings based on the printout in three different sizes: the original sculpture size (21" x 31"), life-size and the wall-size. The original sculpture panel was designed for the walls of a colonnade or courtyard. Have students discuss where the images of the two enlarged sizes might be, or could have been, displayed.
Step 3: Finally, tell students to use percentages as a means of comparing the different sizes of all four images (printout size, actual sculpture size, life-size, and wall size). For example, if the printout of the Fallen Warrior is 10 x 15 inches, then it is approximately 50% the size of the actual sculpture.
Goals
This activity meets Illinois State Goal 6: Demonstrate and apply a knowledge and sense of numbers, including basic arithmetic operations, number patterns, ratios, and proportions.
This activity meets Illinois State Goal 7: Estimate, make, and use measurements of objects, quantities, and relationships and determine acceptable levels of accuracy.
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