Exploring Standards Based Lesson Plans

It’s a Perfect Fit---Part I

Getting into Shapes

A Class Over Time (Geometry)

http://www-tc.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/lessonplans/pdf/esmp/perfectfit.pdf

Lesson Description

This PreK-2 math lesson plan involves geometry. During this lesson, students are expected to be able to visualize a geometric shape after it is shown to them briefly and reproduce the image on the table using the tiles provided.   (See Fig. A)

 Fig. A

They gain more practice recognizing shapes as they survey the room for objects in order to describe their shapes. Next, the learners, compare and contrast their shapes with the shapes of other students after they cut them out from the shape cards. (See Fig. B) 

Fig. B

In a cooperative activity, the students pair up for a classifying task where they group the shapes according to their attributes.  The students are then asked to explain and describe the reasons for their classifications.  This questioning takes the task to higher order thinking and reasoning skills. In conclusion of the lesson, the children are given more copies of the Shape cards to classify at home. (See Fig. C and D)

Fig.C

Fig.D

  

Common Core Standards of This Lesson

Kindergarten

Geometry

Analyze, compare, create, and compose shapes.

K.G.B.5 

Analyze and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts (e.g., number of sides and vertices (“corners”) and other attributes (e.g., having sides of equal length).

Grade 1 Geometry

Reason with shapes and their attributes.

1.G.A.1 

Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

Meeting the Standards in This Lesson

Throughout this lesson, the learners were comparing and contrasting their shapes with the shapes of their classmates and teacher.   Analyzing the structure of shapes in their environments.  In a whole group activity, the teacher had the students create a mock-up of an image flashed briefly before them.

In a cooperative task, the students were asked to classify the attributes of the shapes and describe/explain their classifications.  Within this lesson all of the above Common Core Standards were met through whole group, cooperative and independent tasks.

Implementing this Lesson

Most of this lesson was geared towards the visual learner.  A student with poor spatial reasoning skills would do poorly with the beginning where they used tiles to reproduce the shape that the teacher briefly displayed.  I believe that in my own classroom I would need to do this portion of the lesson in small groups so as to provide more assistant with those who are more inclined to auditory learning.

I appreciate the way the kids were allowed to observe their surroundings to find shapes in their environment.  I would have taken this opportunity to allow the students to leave their seats to observe shape attributes around the room and burn some energy during the lesson.  The portion where the students were to create a picture with their shapes and write a story about them seems a bit daunting on this grade level but of course, inventive spelling and mistakes in grammar and mechanics would be apropos since this isn’t a language arts lesson and the children are likely beginning or emerging in literacy and writing skills.