Welcome to
ARThematics Plus:
Integrated Projects in
Math, Art and Beyond
by Stefanie Mandelbaum and Jacqueline S. Guttman
The book can be ordered from any online
bookstore.
What is ARThematics?
ARThematics = art that uses mathematical concepts. For over 10 years,
Stefanie Mandelbaum has been developing and teaching numerous
ARThematics workshops for students and teachers in the New York
tri-state area. Stefanie, holder of both an MFA in sculpture and an MAT
in math education, has had remarkably successful results in utilizing
art projects to reinforce mathematical concepts.
ARThematics
Plus extends the original math/art concept to
incorporate language arts, world cultures, music, dance, architecture,
science and even culinary arts into the teaching of mathematics. Many
of these “tangents” were developed by Jacqueline Guttman, an
arts-in-education consultant who has written numerous curriculum guides
that supplement in-school arts residency programs.
ARThematics Plus:
Integrated Projects in Math, Art and Beyond was published in
2003. It is a resource book for teachers in grades 4-6 but many of the
lessons and ideas can be tailored for older or younger grades, as
Stefanie herself has done. ARThematics Plus is divided into two major
sections – Shapes, Symbols
and Symmetry and Pondering Proportions.
Explicit math/art lesson plans introduce and reinforce such
topics as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division;
fractions; least common denominator; decimals, percents and ratios;
rational and irrational numbers; plane and solid geometry; symmetry and
asymmetry; prime and composite numbers; polygons and tessellations;
direct and inverse proportions; Fibonacci numbers; the Golden Mean.
Each chapter contains
an overview, a math-art activity, and follow-up “tangents”
incorporating other subject areas. Glossaries, black-line masters of
Stefanie Mandelbaum’s original illustrations, and lists of additional
resources and websites are also included. Designed
to help teachers comply with NCTM Standards,
the lessons engage students by demonstrating the use of fundamental
mathematical concepts in the creation of works of art. While the
primary goal is to reinforce these concepts, we hope as well that the
activities will enable students to understand the relationships between
math, art and the larger universe.
To get a taste of some of the lessons, click on any chapter.
Kitchen Floors and the Alhambra Palace