School 2 Figure Sculptures: Ratio and Proportion

In this project fifth and sixth grade students used recycled cardboard, wood, and paint to create sculptures based upon the proportions of the human body.  Although there are differences among individuals, most humans fit within a certain range of proportins.  for example, the average human is approximately seven and one-half heads tall.

In addition to the above, students were asked to construct the sculptures so that they would be strong enough and balanced enough to stand independently on their bases.  They were also asked to create the sculptures so that their figures demonstrated gestures.

Art Teacher Beth Porto, who planned and taught the lesson, said, The ability to draw and construct the sculptures accurately required considerable practice, close observation, and accurate measurement.  The need to maintain the proper relations of the body parts to each other was an exercise in the mathematical concept of ratio and proportion."