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Code, Culture, and Creation:
Code, Culture, and Creation:
The Geometry of our ancestors
The Geometry of our ancestors
Class overview
Our ancestors have always been makers, mathematicians, scientists, engineers, and more. Across centuries and cultures, people used mathematical knowledge to design tools, create art, build structures, and solve practical problems.
This class will explore the intersections between mathematics, art, and engineering across different cultures. Students will engage in hands-on projects through 3D printing, digital modeling, coding, and art making.
By learning math through making, students will understand how math is a universal language that has shaped human creativity and innovation. They’ll discover how different cultures have used mathematical principles while developing critical thinking, creativity, and imagination.
This course begins with two provocations designed to spark curiosity and challenge conventional thinking about mathematics.
The first explores the idea that math is not just about numbers, but about patterns, design, and problem-solving—concepts deeply rooted in cultures around the world.
The second provocation challenges students to see themselves as makers and mathematicians, capable of using math to create, innovate, and understand the world in new ways.
In our class, we do math differently:
In our class, we do math differently:
We believe everyone can do math at high levels. YOU ARE A MATH PERSON!
Math class is filled with making, invention, and creation. We do hands-on projects to learn and apply concepts.
We value risk-taking, question asking, mistakes, communications, and curiosity.
The most important thing is that you do the work so you can learn the math.
DO
DO
Explore geometry and algebra concepts through real-world applications
Apply math to solve problems and design solutions
Use the block-based visual coding language Turtle Art to create patterns.
Use TinkerCad to 3D model and 3D print structures.
Investigate how ancestors used math in their daily lives and cultural creations
KNOW
KNOW
Expressions, Equations, and Functions
Geometric Relationships: coordinate geometry, angles, operations, variables, and distances
Symmetry, tessellations, congruence
Rigid motion transformations (rotations, reflections, translations)
Computer Science: algorithms, conditional statements and loops.
Sequences, scaling, ratios, and proportions.
Fractals, self-similarity, and recursive patterns.
Create
Create
Create 3D printed objects using digital fabrication tools.
Express mathematical ideas in beautiful creations by coding geometric art
Digital and physical models that reflect both mathematical and cultural principles
Collaborative math-based art installations that contribute to a larger class project
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