Fun with a Ruler - Collaborative Art Project using Parabolic Curves

A ‘Fun with a Ruler’ art project that involves drawing parabolic curves (curves that are made by drawing a series of straight lines).

This project involves your students ruling straight lines between 2 dots on a template. When they have finished drawing all of the lines they can give their artwork some colour.

Each student completes a square. Join the squares together to make an eye-catching display (see image for example).

Included:
♦ Template – black dots
♦ Template – light grey dots
♦ Example
♦ Display suggestion
♦ Instructions
♦ Teacher notes

Level of Difficulty:
Your students need to be able to use a ruler to draw straight lines between 2 points (the curves are made with straight lines … it’s like magic!). The designs can look more complicated than they actually are. Concentration is required, but the actual process is not difficult.

Instructions:
Simple, clear, easy-to-follow instructions are provided. One instruction per page (image and a sentence). Display the instructions via a data projector if you have access to one. Otherwise print and enlarge them and/or demonstrate on an enlarged template.

Equipment:
You need a ruler and a pen (black works best). Something to colour with (eg coloured pencils, watercolours, felt tip markers, chalk pastels, dye, etc)

Size:
Each square measures approximately 18.5cm x 18.5cm. Designed on A4 size paper.


Keywords: string art, math, geometry, patterns, parabolic curves.


© Suzanne Welch Teaching Resources