Four or five fifty-minute class periods

Students will learn about the life and art of Piet Mondrian, his style influenced by jazz music, and his technique using spatial concepts. Students will create a painting in Mondrian's non-objective style. Art, music, design, and math have connections we may not have thought about. There are patterns, rhythms, and shapes in each. You can use math and music to become a better artist/designer!

By the end of this lesson, students will:

Websites: http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=78682 Broadway Boogie-Woogie, 1942-1943, Piet Mondrian Vestige, 1985-86, Bob Heatley Bransford, J., Brown, A., Cocking, R. “Technology to support learning.” In How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. (pp. 194-220). Washington D.C.: Academy Press, 1999. Ringstaff, C., Kelley, L. The Learning Return on Our Educational Technology Investment: A Review of Findings from Research. San Francisco: WestEd, 2002. (PDF File)http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/learning_return.pdf Lionni, Leo. Little Blue and Little Yellow. Mulberry Books, 1995. http://www.buy.com/prod/little-blue-and-little-yellow/q/loc/106/30124928.html?dcaid=17379

• computers (one for each student) • CD player • CDs of Meade Lux Lewis and Alber Ammons • writing paper • canvases • paintbrushes • rulers • acrylic paint • pencils

pattern-a decorative design, as for wallpaper, china, or textile fabrics, etc.; decoration or ornament having such a design primary color-a color, as red, yellow, or blue, that in mixture yields other colors quadrilateral-a plane figure having four sides and four angles representation-the expression or designation by some term, character, symbol, or the like

Activities before going to the computer: • Introduce the students to the painting "Broadway Boogie Woogie" (http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=78682) and lead a discussion about what they see, what they think is happening, and what they think the painting means. • Invite students to talk about what music they like, then play jazz by Meade Lux Lewis and Alber Ammons, two musicians that inspired Mondrian. Inform the students that Mondrian was an artist who tried to make music come to life in his paintings. • Inform the students that they will research Mondrian’s life and work in order to write a biographical report. Ultimately, the students will create their own versions of paintings in Mondrian’s style. Computer research activity: Students will work at the computer both individually and in their learning groups to access web-quests and various biographical and informational web-pages about Piet Mondrian and his paintings. • Divide the class into groups or learning clubs with one student playing the role of the “navigator,” while the others make sketches and record data. One student will be the “recorder,” another the “presenter,” all will be “researchers.” • Have the students research Mondrian and record their information. • The students will then use their research to write a biographical report and prepare a class presentation about Mondrian. Make sure to allot at least one class period (or more, depending on students’ abilities with computers and researching) to Internet researching and one class period to the report write-up and class presentation preparation. • Have all of the groups present their findings on the life and work of Mondrian. If there is not enough time for entire presentations, have each group present surprising or interesting findings. Encourage discussion among the students.

Students will be assessed by means of: • Portfolio • Performance • Presentation Assess students on their oral and a written report about Mondrian, along with their participation, computer art, and painting.

Students can read books that were inspired by Mondrian's art—little blue and little yellow by Leo Lionni.

The unit was very successful with the students. They were engaged in the web-quest portion and listening to and interpreting the music. Their writing skills and abilities were of less interest to them and were not as emphasized within the context of the art classroom unit. However, they did go through self, peer, and teacher edits and revisions and even gave an oral presentation with their painting. The paintings were successful and varied in terms of composition and interpretation of Mondrian's style. The students enjoyed working within the constraints of geometry, color, and form. Overall, the integrated lesson was a success. For further implementation, I would consider comparing and contrasting paintings and or other artwork from that period and delving deeper into the history of that time with another cross-curricular link to Social Studies through Industrialization, African-American music, factory workers, etc.