In the world of art, there are many advantages to creating works of art with geometric figures, especially for older students. Shapes can be seen all around us, almost to the point where we don’t quite pay attention to them as much as we could. When incorporating shape-related lesson plans into the art room, they can play an important role when creating drawings and paintings. In this post, we’re going to look at a few advantages of using geometric figures, as well as a piece of art my 6th grade class completed.

3 Advantages of Creating Works of Art with 6th Grade Geometric Figures

Engagement

Students tend to retain information when they are engaged, which also helps with making learning more fun. Using geometric figures helps prepare them not just for upcoming assessments but for the next grade level and beyond. Why? Because they will remember the activity where they created works of art more than they will anything that is worksheet-based.

Real-Life Connections

Ask your students to think of the classroom, their home, and neighborhood, or even the bus ride home. Start the conversation by asking them about the buildings, furniture, cars, and sculptures they see in nature. Getting their gears going will help them see geometric shapes in a new way and begin connecting the fact that we see shapes all around us.

Historical Connections

History is full of connections to geometric figures. From the pyramids in Egypt to old English architecture, showing students a piece of history can help them see how things have changed over time. Consider showing them pictures in books, museums, or even print some off of the Internet. Break your students up into small groups and provide them with a couple of pictures. Ask them to discuss different geometric shapes and figures. They can even compare and contrast how things are made today versus how they were made then.

Geometric Figures Art Idea: Designing a Creative Cube

For this lesson, the students were given a cube template that will later be cut out and taped together to create a 3-D shape. First, they chose a different design or pattern to draw in each section of the cube. Allow your students to get as creative as they want.

This is where making connections between what they see in real life and things they’ve seen from the past (in history books or old paintings) can be used to stimulate ideas.

Once they have each section drawn and colored in, have them cut around the entire cube template. Fold each section that has a dotted line and apply tape to the flaps to begin creating the cube. Once everything has been folded and taped together, your students will have a uniquely designed geometric shape - a cube!

CHIME IN: Have you done an assignment like with your students before? Let me know in the comments below!