Lesson: Flowers for the City

Visit the site lewismillerdesign.com/flower-flash to show students images of floral arrangements by Lewis Miller known as Flower Flashes. Then ask the following questions:
• If you happened to pass one of these Flower Flashes, how might it make you feel?
• These Flower Flashes were installed by a florist. Why might the florist do this?
• Which Flower Flash do you like best? Why?

Distribute or digitally share the “3-2-1 Notes” literacy skills sheet. Have students read the article independently and fill out their skills sheet. Prompt them to look for specific information, such as how math is used in flower arranging and why Lewis Miller started installing Flower Flashes. Then have volunteers share their responses to each of the sections. If time permits, have students vote on one “1 Question I Still Have” to research as a class.

Ask students to identify when and where they see percentages in everyday life (e.g., sales at stores, product advertisements, test grades in school). Before playing the video, tell students to listen for what percent means and how to find a percent of a number. Then play the math video and discuss the focus points after watching.

Read through the introduction and the example of the “Finding Percent of a Number” box on page 21. Point out that Step 2 provides a formula for finding percent of a number. Ask students to reframe this step as a formula with variables instead of the accompanying numbers: percent x whole = part. Post this formula on the board. Allow students to work in pairs on the “Your Turn” questions. Then review the answers as a class. For question 5, ask students how this answer was different from the rest.

Use “Your Turn” question 5 as the hook for showing students how to find a percent, part, or whole given the other two variables. Show students how to manipulate the formula (percent x whole = part) to isolate different variables: percent = part/whole; whole = part/percent. Tell them that they can choose whichever version of this formula makes the most sense for the information they are given. Alternatively, you can show students how to plug in known values for the original formula, and then solve the equation for the missing value. Provide students with the “Finding the Whole” skills sheet for additional practice.

Lewis Miller and his company put Flower Flashes around New York City using leftover flowers. Have students read the article “Trash Transformed” from our friends at Scholastic ART. Then ask students to collect some trash or recycling throughout the week and have them bring those items to class. Be sure to set some rules around what trash may or may not be brought in. Once you have enough trash and/or recyclables, give students time to create their own art from their items.

Have students draw their own floral arrangement or challenge them to design a Flower Flash. They can either create a key, add labels, or use a color-coding system to identify each type of flower used in their drawing. Then have students calculate the percent of each flower type used out of the total flowers.