Students are currently working on their Aestheometry design. Pictured here are the materials that we use daily. Upper left: Nineteen different aestheometry practice sheets that are distributed over several class periods. Upper middle: The large paper with the number four is a student folder that we create at the beginning of the year. It’s a 18×24″ sheet of heavy paper folder in half and labeled with the student’s name and class period. Upper right: A green cardboard ruler I provide for my students and a plastic/mesh zipper bag for individual student materials. The pink card inside is numbered according to the student’s seating assignment. Among other things, the bag contains a hard-lead pencil and eraser. Lower left: A manila file jacket for resources. One of these is supplied to each table. Lower right: The contents of the manila resource folder. A booklet of aestheometry instructions and examples. It’s probably around 10 pages front to back and corner stapled. Also, three examples printed in color and laminated so they can be reused. In fact, my goal is to preserve all the file jackets and their contents and use them year after year.
This is the 2nd week on this project. Last week I led the students in creating a basic template for two designs on 12×18″ paper. Each student creates one on white paper and a second on black paper. The next day, I introduced the practice sheets. I distribute about four per day. Students work through them at their own pace. They may choose which sheet they want to work on of the ones they have been given. I do not expect them to complete all of them…although some students manage it. After distributing the last of the practice sheets earlier this week, I allowed a couple of days more to continue experimenting on them. Once the aestheometry lines are done on a given sheet, students can experiment with coloring the lines or cells. Next, students construct a small version of their final idea on a practice sheet. They must demonstrate that they know how to create the increments on their line structure. As I am satisfied that they know how to complete their design, I allow them to retrieve their full-size templates.