The Big Idea
My Big Idea is geared towards a 6th grade audience. The amount of time allotted towards this program will be at least one hour a week throughout the entire school year. It will be completed during math class. My big idea has three components. The first component is Numbers in Nature. We will dive into mathematics behind nature. We will look into the golden ratio, Voronoi patterns, fractals, golden spiral, and the Fibonacci sequence. After discovering these mathematical practices in nature we will move onto the second component which is Patterns in Culture. We will look at how math has inspired our culture. Looking at the same mathematical practices, we will identify them in art, buildings, and everyday encounters. The final component will Math and Me. We will discover how these things influence each student. What does this mean for them? Each component will have a large project and several mini projects to help display the students’ knowledge and understanding of the content they have discovered. The students will grow their own plant for the first component and identify the patterns and sequences they discover. In the second component the students will create their own piece of artwork that is influenced by mathematical patterns. For the last component, they will create a collage of things that influence them and in which they see these mathematical practices in everyday life. Even though mathematics will be the backbone of this Big Idea, science, technology, engineering, and art will also be incorporated into the topics. We will be using a variety of technology to help enhance the exploration of this Big Idea. The technology being used will be used to help see concepts from different views and perspectives. Through interdisciplinary content and technology, the students will be able to see the Big Idea by the end of the school year.