Geometric Shapes

This week we have been working on 2D and 3D shapes. I think the biggest challenge was getting students to understand the different attributes for each shape. Between understanding that a polygon can also be a quadrilateral and that quadrilaterals can also have pairs of parallel lines, I was tired of looking at starry eyed students.  Students had to apply this information if I was going to get true understanding.

So this last week we built many different shapes. Materials needed are wood sticks or toothpicks (I chose wood sticks because they were $1 at Walmart) and gum drops (I chose these over marshmallows because they are a little stronger).

Each student was in a partner group and could build 4 different shapes of their choice. The students then took pictures of their shapes and created a Power Point to present about their shapes and attributes.  This lesson really helped students have a better understanding of attributes and geometry as a whole. Below are some pics of my students during the process.

Geometric Success!
Erin Hansen