Bricks and Tiles

This activity from Cre8ate maths investigates the lines of horizontal and vertical weakness in walls. Initially students are shown four walls and have to identify the lines of weakness in them, before finding the smallest rectangular solution which has no lines of weakness. Students should record their designs as they work and use them to improve upon. Dominoes could be used for this task as they are in the same ratio as a brick.

Drawing tiles demonstrates how a design can be tessellated to create patterns and students could create a tile using the draw toolbar within Microsoft Word, as this will allow them to experiment with rotation and reflection possibilities very easily.

Square tiles gives rich opportunities to consider reflective and rotational symmetry and could be used to introduce art from different cultures. Guide lines for a square tile are provided, with lines of symmetry marked, to support students when completing this task.

URL: http://stem.org.uk/rx5p

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Review

Bricks and Tiles

Posted by nearyh on 18th May 2011

Activity…

Activity time: 1 hour

Level/prior knowledge: Level 2 upwards

Subject/curriculum links/skills: Maths – problem solving, trial and error, methodical working strategies.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Extra Resources: Dominoes

Commentary:

I used this activity with my mixed ability Year 5/6 class. They found the theory behind the activity interesting as it was linked to building and engineering. The part of the activity which looks at lines of weakness in a wall (simulated by using dominoes as ‘bricks’) was particularly enjoyable and the pupils became very competitive with one another to be the first to complete the activity. When asked, the pupils said they found the lesson enjoyable and liked the challenge. With a bit of creativity, this resource could be used over a series of lessons.