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Snowflake Bentley

Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley was the first known person to take detailed close-up photographs of snowflakes and document their features. Students will explore his life and photographs, then create a sketch of Bentley and/or snowflakes.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

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  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Have a discussion about the characteristics and properties of snowflakes. For example, no two are alike, but all have six sides. The reason they are hexagonal is due to the molecular structure of ice. A water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom. When water freezes the molecules bond in a particular structure that forms a hexagonal lattice. Snowflakes are also symmetrical, displaying bothe rotational symmetry (the object looks the same when rotated) and reflectional symmetry (one side is the mirror image of the other side).

  • Step 2

    Read "Snowflake Bentley" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Mary Azarian, a Caldecott Award-winning book. It tells the story of Wilson Bentley (1865-1931), a meteorologist and photographer who was the first known person to take detailed photographs of snowflakes and document their features. He was fascinated by the beauty of snowflakes and devised a way to attach a camera to a microscope to photograph these structures. He is the reason why we know that no two snowflakes are alike. Except for technological advancements in the equipment used, the process of photographing snowflakes today remains the same.

  • Step 3

    Have students view some of Bentley's snowflake photographs. He took over 5,000 pictures of these structures that he called "ice flowers." Then ask them to create a drawing inspired by Bentley, his photography, and snowflakes.

  • Step 4

    Have students present their art and talk about what they learned about Snowflake Bentley as well as the math and science of snowflakes

Standards

ARTS: Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art. 

MATH: Look for and create constructed or natural structures and patterns. 

SCI: Ask questions about the features of phenomena observed and conclusions drawn from investigations or models. 

Adaptations

It was said that Wilson Bentley "had the mind of a scientist and the soul of a poet." Albert Einstein said, "The greatest scientists are artists as well." Have students discuss the close relationship between art and science. Why do they suppose that employers in all fields seek to hire people with strong creative thinking skills? How can art help us visualize and learn scientific concepts? 

The earliest known use of simple microscopes dates back to the 13th century. Have students explore some of the people involved in its evolution, such as Zacharias Janssen, Hans Lippershey, Galileo Galilei, and Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. Have them learn about the different types of microscopes and how their use has contributes to the field of health care, forensics, archaeology, etc.