English/Math Barn Quilt Project

How it all began - Barn Quilt Project 2018-19

Have you ever driven down Longwoods road and admired the barn quilts? Ms. Minello, a math teacher at Glencoe District High School, does daily during her commute between London and Glencoe. On one particularly nice day she noted the use of symmetry, lines, and shapes that make up the quilts. She began thinking that she could have her students create these using their understanding of linear relations, specifically parallel and perpendicular lines.

Ms. Minello brought the idea of creating the quilts in math and then writing about the significance in English to Ms. Grover, the students' English teacher. What could be better than combining math and English and getting two marks for one assignment!? And so, Ms. Minello and Ms. Grover set off creating the English/Math Barn Quilt Cross-Curricular Project.

Together they brainstormed, created the assignment and marking rubric, and organized a guest speaker.

This website documents our journey through this cross-curricular project and also displays our students' final projects in the form of a digital barn quilt.

The Next Phase - Barn Quilt Project 2019-20

Ms. Minello changed schools in September of 2019 and became a Banting Bronco. Ms. Grover, however, stayed a Glencoe Gael. Though they were separated, they felt that their students could still benefit from doing this project. They applied for release time to work out the details for a fun and exciting collaborative experience.

A Gael and a Bronco were paired up. Using their school email accounts, Google Hangout, and Google Meet the students began to get to know one another. Together they designed a barn quilt highlighting their similarities and their differences. The Broncos met the task of creating the Barn Quilts using the Desmos program, while the Gaels examined previous promotional literature and wrote about their team creations. The written components and a picture of each Barn Quilt are available here, at this site for you to enjoy.