Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version
of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article
will take you to a page on the old site. Teaching ideas based on
New York Times content. Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson,
students investigate the role of mathematics in their everyday
lives. They then discover, through reading a Times article and
through analyzing a specific example of art, that mathematics
exists on a deeper ‘metaphoric’ level in art. Alison Zimbalist,
The New York Times Learning Network Suggested Time Allowance: 45
minutes 1. List and discuss all that they do on a daily basis
that involves mathematics, both on obvious and more hidden
levels. 2. Read and discuss “Mathematical Metaphors Abound in
Art and Fiction.” 3. Relate a mathematical concept
metaphorically to a piece of art. Resources / Materials: copies
of “Mathematical Metaphors Abound in Art and Fiction ” (one per
student) Activities / Procedures: 1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: Students
list all the things that th