Theoniki Makras, Shannon Brogan, Alison Bretz, Jonah Toma, Sabrina Parin, Lauren Demille, Alex Wilson, Tabitha Starita, Erin Peters, Maria Valante; (Sitting from left to right): Brandon Martucci, John Rodrigues, Alexa Trani, and Michelle Kapelova (Photo courtesy of Clark Public Schools)
CLARK — Students in Denise Picciano’s eighth grade math class at Carl H. Kumpf Middle School in Clark brought ordinary images to life in their recently created “Motion Animation” books. During their current unit of study on 2-Dimensional Geometry, students learned how to complete transformations of images on a coordinate grid by applying translations, rotations, and reflections.
The lesson began with a Discovery Channel video on Motion Geometry depicting how these different types of transformations are used in a real world setting, such as when creating digitally animated movies. After being inspired by the video, students began using transformations, giving movement to their images and creating the illusion of motion animation. These colorful and geometric story-telling adventures adorn the halls of Kumpf and are a constant reminder of how math is always prevalent in our everyday lives.
