Lesson Plan Title : Symmetry

Age Range:

Grade 6 through Grade 8 (Middle School)

Overview and Purpose:

Students will enjoy creating symmetry with this artistic activity. They can choose a picture, fold it in half, and creatively draw the missing part. The symmetry should be obvious, but there will be many ways the students can complete this assignment creatively.

Objective:

The student will be able to identify objects that are symmetrical and draw half of an object by looking at the other half.

Resources:

One piece of blank paper per student

Magazines with several symmetrical items in them

Tape

Variety of writing and drawing utensils

Activities:

Have your students look through magazines and cut out any objects that they think are symmetrical. Challenge them to find unusual ones. Have them tape the pictures up on the white board. When there are quite a few pictures on the board, talk about any that may not be obviously symmetrical and ask the student to explain why they chose them.

Have each student choose one picture from the board, fold it in half, and tape it to their paper. Ask them to draw the missing half of the picture. Depending on their grasp of symmetry, you can encourage them to be creative in their coloring or background designs.

Showcase the completed pictures in your classroom or hallway.

Closure:

This lesson will appeal to students who are artistic. Students who are not may struggle with it. Depending on the students' grasp of symmetry, a variety of strategies could be used to help tentative artists feel more comfortable drawing. These can include working in pairs, computer drawing, tracing, and cut and paste.