I’ve done some version of the animal/pet house Desmos project for a couple of years; it’s always a hit. This year I was inspired to put a bit of a spin on it after learning about Diarra Bousso, a fashion designer (and math teacher!) who uses equations to create her patterns.
I did this project after students learned about the slope-intercept form and how to write equations for vertical and horizontal lines. It’s a fantastic example of “real-world math.”
Launch:
Show students this video of Diarra Bousso discussing how she uses math to create her designs and how her method of production is more sustainable.
![](https://i0.wp.com/hailstonesequence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-02-at-9.28.22-PM.png?resize=723%2C466&ssl=1)
2. Tell students that they get to create their own graphic designs using equations like Diarra Bousso! (I WISH we had the funds to actually print their designs on tee-shirts. Next year I will try to make it happen.)
- Each student sketches their design on paper on a coordinate plane. Their design must have at least 2 horizontal lines, 2 vertical lines, 3 slanted lines with positive slopes and 3 slanted lines with different slopes. (Most use way more!)
- I asked the kids to label each of their lines with the equation. (I noticed some teachers only ask kids to label the slopes, which could work well too.)
- Kids use the desmos graphing calculator to re-create their designs digitally. In the process they learn about restricting the domain and range and (if you have time for it) shading using inequalities. I posted this handout with directions on google classroom, but had to show most of them as well.
- Kids write a reflection about what they needed to know/learn to complete this project.
Here are some results from this year:
![](https://i0.wp.com/hailstonesequence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-02-at-9.16.01-PM.png?resize=249%2C300&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/hailstonesequence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-02-at-9.17.43-PM.png?resize=300%2C135&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/hailstonesequence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-02-at-9.16.21-PM.png?resize=300%2C290&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/hailstonesequence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-02-at-9.18.02-PM.png?resize=300%2C294&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/hailstonesequence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-02-at-9.16.40-PM.png?resize=300%2C239&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/hailstonesequence.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Screen-Shot-2022-04-02-at-9.17.15-PM.png?resize=300%2C220&ssl=1)
Here are some other great videos about Diarra Bousso, in case you are interested in learning more:
Forbes: How Fashion Saved This High School Math Teacher’s Life – How Diara Bousso went from working on Wall Street to becoming a math teacher and fashion designer
Politcal Calculations: Fashionable Maths : She discusses her designs, including using combinatorics to create more swimsuit options. Shows many women in bathing suits…so may not be best to show in school.