First Week Of Distance Learning:

Royal Treasure Map

4/6-4/10

There are quite a few hidden treasures that date back to medieval times that have yet to be found! If only we could find a map that could lead us to those treasures...

This week we will make our very own treasure map. The artists who design and draw maps are called Cartographers.

First it is important to know what all maps have in common. Let's make a list!

1. A Compass Rose

It is vitally important that we know what direction is which when we are trying to read a map. Often you will see a compass drawn somewhere on the map that tells the viewer which way is North, East, West, and South. This is actually where we get the word News from. We gather information from all four directions. If you take the first letter of each directions you can spell the word NEWS.

2. A legend or a key

This is usually a rectangle or square that has examples of the symbols drawn on the map and an explanation written as to what that symbol stands for. Sometimes cartographers might draw a mountain symbol or tree symbol on their map to help people know about obstacles or natural features. It is important that we know what these symbols and drawings represent. The legend helps those viewing the map to fully understand what is on the map.

3. A scale

This is just a line drawn that is measured and lets us know how large an area we are looking at on the map. If the line says one inch equals 10 miles that is very different than if one inch equals 100 miles!

4. Land and Water

Almost all maps show where the land is and where the water is whether it is an ocean, a lake, a pond, a waterfall, or a river. Land can take many forms also. Some land is mountainous, covered in forest, desert, jungle, or ice.

5. Dangers

If there is anything dangerous in the area covered by the map it is important that these things are clearly marked. There could be quicksand or rapids or extreme cold, dangerous animals, or difficult terrain to navigate.

6. Place Names

maps are most useful when they name the places they are mapping. If there is a lake then the name of the lake should be written directly onto the map. Mountains, rivers, forests, deserts, cities and towns, large structures, and small buildings all should have names.

Find a piece of paper. The larger the better! Cutting up a large brown shopping bag might work well for this project but it can really be any kind of paper.

Next use a pencil to put in the borders of the land in your map. Add in water and details on the land like forests or mountains.

Add on your compass rose, legend, and scale.

Are there dangers like whirlpools or river rapids that people should know about? Traps? Dangerous animals like a sea serpent? Of course there are. Add that in!

What is your map leading people too? Draw in the path they should follow to get to the treasure by putting in a dotted or dashed line that takes them around the land to get to the treasure. Remember X marks the spot!

Once you have drawn it lightly color it in.

Now we need to make it look really old so crumple it up as much as you possibly can and rip the edges a bit! Flatten your map back out carefully and put it on an oven tray or in the sink or tub. You can use a tea bag or two to add some staining to your map to really make it look old. Some people have reported success with a very small amount of coffee grounds in warm water splashed around on the map. Let the tea or coffee puddle a bit in certain spots of the map and then leave it to dry.

Have fun and send me a picture!

Second Week of Distance Learning:

Medieval Tessellations

4/13-4/17

This week I'd like if you watched this short video about a very famous artist named M.C. Escher. His work involves a very high level of understanding of certain math concepts and he often drew fantastical creatures and places using optical illusions of depth just like many of the ones we have talked about in class and experimented with in our previous projects. When you put them all together you can create some very powerful illusions. you can watch the video here: M.C. Escher Video

our next project is going to be to make a simple tessellation very similar to Escher's work. here are some of his more famous works along with some of his tessellations.

There are many more artworks that he created that you can see if you go to his website: ESCHER OFFICIAL SITE

We are going to make our own tessellation which is a repeated shape that interlocks like a puzzle leaving no space uncovered by the repeated shape. To do this we have to start with a square. You want the square to be about 3 inches on each side. Use a ruler to check! You will also need a pencil, scissors, and tape.

Using your pencil create a shape by starting a line on the bottom of your square. Don't make it too crazy of a shape or you will have a hard time cutting it out. The shape must be made by drawing a line that starts and ends on the bottom of the square.

After you draw your shape grab your scissors and carefully cut the shape. Then slide it across the shape making sure you don't flip it and tape it on directly across from where you cut it out. Do not let the two papers overlap when you tape it.

Next you will do the same thing on the right side of the square. draw your line to make a shape.

Cut the new piece and slide it directly across from where you cut it out from the right side to the left without flipping it. Tape it on.

Now you will have a shape that will tessellate! Don't trace it onto a larger paper yet.

Lets put that in a special place so it doesn't get ruined and we will pick up next week with the next steps to complete our Escher style Tessellation!