Transforming Math and Sport with Freeform

Learning doesn’t need to live in subject-based silos. This lesson was inspired by the Made on iPad NHL goalie mask template in Procreate and aimed to champion cross-curricular connections through the fusion of geometry, creativity and cultural identity.

In my role as a K-12 Digital Literacy Coordinator in British Columbia, I work to empower students to create digital media that they’re proud of. Our team promotes projects, resources, and lessons in which students explore digital tools that allow them to creatively express themselves and their learning across all subject areas.

This Everyone Can Create activity celebrates Canadian culture and student identity through sport. Just as NHL goalies use their masks as canvases for personal expression, students are invited to use geometric concepts and drawing tools in Freeform to create a goalie mask that tells their story. The good news is that students don’t need to be hockey enthusiasts to take part—this self-paced activity blends geometry, drawing, and personal story-telling.

The Learning Activity

First, students explore the Freeform app, navigating between scenes and familiarizing themselves with the drawing tools and the Shapes menu by doodling and colouring a hockey jersey.

Students are challenged to consider how artistic choices are tied to mathematical ideas. They review geometry concepts such as translations, reflections, and rotations and connect it to choices they could make with their own creations:

• Could they have a doodle that repeats across a surface (translation)? 
• Could they include a symmetrical concept along the helmet’s front midline (reflection)?
• Could they create a radial pattern around a central point (rotation)?  

Next, students explore real-life NHL goalie mask concepts as 3D models that can be manipulated along the X, Y, and Z axes. Exploring the artwork of others challenges students to consider perspective-taking and the decisions that artists have to make on such a complex canvas. 

Now it’s time to create! Students use the drawing tools in Freeform and are challenged to include doodles, shading, and shapes that include geometric concepts to tell their story.

After the creations are complete, students can turn their masks into digital stickers that they can share with their friends, families, and teachers.

The Everyone Can Create Demo Guide for this lesson provides a step-by-step overview of how to facilitate the activity with your students. You can download the Freeform activity here. Please note that iCloud needs to be enabled and signed in to access the Freeform download.

Reflection on Facilitating the Activity with Students

I have been using Everyone Can Create as an education resource for nearly a decade, so it was an honour to support the creation of this lesson and bring it to life together with students and teachers.

Students were completely engrossed in manipulating the 3D NHL goalie masks in Freeform and were chattering about their favourite players and their masks. They were deeply engaged in creating their designs using drawings and shapes, and proudly shared their unique artwork that told their stories. Just look at those masks!!!

Tips on How to Assess Student Learning in this Lesson

Here are three options to assess student learning within this lesson:

• Numeracy concepts: 
• Review students’ work in the Learn and Explore scenes to determine whether they understand what translations, reflections, and rotations are, and how to apply their knowledge on a Cartesian plane with either drawings or 3D models.
• Identity reflection: 
• Have students do a quick share-out about their goalie masks. Ask them to share their artwork and explain why they added the drawings, colours, shapes, and designs, and how they relate to their personal identity.
• Math & art curricular crossover:
• Before beginning, ensure you have provided clear criteria that students need to include a translation, reflection, and/or rotation in their goalie mask artwork. Check students’ artwork for these elements and have a conversation with them about their approach.

I hope you take some time to check out the Everyone Can Create Made on iPad Freeform activity and be sure to share your creations on social media. Tag us @atcreativestation on Instagram — we would love to see what you create!