TEACHERS' RESOURCES

Maths and Islamic Art & Design

This resource provides a variety of information and activities that teachers may like to use with their students to explore the Islamic Middle East collections at the V&A. It can be used to support learning in Maths and Art. Included in this resource are sections on:

• Principles of Islamic Art & Design
• Pre-visit activities
• Activities to do in the museum
• Activities to do back at school

Islamic art explores the geometric systems that depend upon the regular division of the circle and the study of Islamic art increases appreciation and understanding of geometry. The use of these geometric systems creates a harmony among Islamic decorative arts and architecture, which is consistent with the Islamic belief that all creation is harmoniously interrelated.

Approaching an abstract subject in a concrete way provides a means of extending maths into other curriculum areas. The context of the Museum expands and enriches students' appreciation of the application of geometry in a cultural context and develops the sense of different cultural identities. Students have the opportunity to become familiar with the relationship between geometry and design and this can give confidence to students who have never seen themselves as 'good at art'.

Islamic Middle East (Room 42) and South Asia (Room 41) are referred to in the Museum activities. This resource also suggests activities for students to carry out before and after they visit the Museum.

National Curriculum links

The activities based on geometric Islamic patterns in this booklet support learning about shapes, space and measures. Students at Key Stage 1 and 2 can learn to recognise circles, triangles, squares and hexagons, and to create pictures using 2-D shapes. They learn to identify lines of symmetry and to recognise reflective and rotational symmetry. Students at Key Stage 2 and 3 can study transformational and symmetrical patterns to produce tessellations.

The activities are particularly useful for cross-curricular links with Art and Technology projects.

Preparation for a visit

We strongly suggest that teachers make a preliminary visit to the V&A and undertake the activities themselves before introducing these to students. Students will need to construct patterns for themselves in order to develop an understanding of how the shapes relate to each other. Allow plenty of time for these activities. Some students may lack the co-ordination required to manipulate a compass. Circular templates with the circumference divided into six or eight equal parts will help to get these students started.

We have provided a triangular grid for producing patterns with triangles and hexagons. We have also provided patterns that can be used to make card templates of the main shapes.

Find out more

Visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/islamic_gall/index.html for more information about the Islamic Middle East collection and gallery.

Visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/asia/about/index.html for information about the Asian collections.