Slope Stained Glass Window Project

Slope intercept form can be a challenging concept for students to grasp.  It is hard to visualize when you just see numbers on a practice sheet.

Whether you are teaching students in upper elementary or middle school, projects that combine art and math always help bring concepts to life.

You can encourage creativity in math class by incorporating art projects into your units. This gives students a chance to practice math while creating art.

Slope is a topic that many of my students have found challenging to conceptualize so I created this Slope Stained Glass Window art project to bring the concept of slope to life.

While searching Pinterest for ideas,  I came across several versions of the slope stained glass window project, but none of them really fit the specific needs I had for my class.  

So…I made my own version of this project so I could include everything I needed,  and it is now in my Teachers Pay Teachers store

The Work and Calculations

Students choose several linear equations from a list and create a table of values that they plug in to the equations to create x and y coordinates for each line.

Then, they determine the slope of each line, the type of slope (positive, negative, zero or undefined) and the intercepts.

The Project

The first step of the project is graphing the lines on graph paper.  I require that each line be labeled with the corresponding equation.  

I give my students free range on what they use to add color to their design.  Crayons, colored pencils, markers, chalk….anything they want. It is amazing how giving choices increases the engagement!   I encourage them to put together a nice color scheme to make their final product visually appealing.

Grading the Project

I created a 4 point rubric to grade their finished projects.  I give the kids this rubric right away, so they know exactly what they need to do to get the highest grade.  

Before starting, I show a couple of examples and have them use the rubric to determine a grade for each project.  I have found that giving the students a rubric and having them apply it to a sample project really helps them to see what high quality work looks like.

Doing projects with my math students is so much fun!  Giving kids art activity to show what they know and actually apply the skills to a project (not just a worksheet) really hooks my students interest!

Where to Get this Resource

If you like this project, it is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!  The student direction sheet and the rubric are editable so you can customize it for your class.

Click here to see other fun math projects I have created to use with my math students!