Unit Title and Lesson Number: Shapes, Shapes Everywhere!
Creator: Becky Haslacker
Grade Level: First grade
Subject: Math
Big Idea: Geometry; two dimensional shapes
Essential Questions: How can shapes be described?
How are shapes used in our world?
CSOs, LS, TT:
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M.O.1.3.1 Students will draw, label, and sort circles, rectangles, including
squares, and triangles according to sides and vertices.
M.O.1.3.4 Students will draw and identify open and closed
figures and congruent plane shapes.
21C.O.PK-2.1.LS.2 Student can accurately interpret
and create simple visuals (eg. charts, maps, graphs, and models)
and use this information to solve problems and communicate
information.
21C.O.PK-2.2.LS.3 Student engages in a problem solving process
using objects to solve problems and demonstrates learning by
explaining how they solved the problem.
21.C.O.PK-2.3.LS.1 Student manages negative emotions aligns
his/her goals to the goals of others, and works cooperatively and
productively with others in small groups.
Launch/Introduction:
Activating Prior Knowledge: I will read the book, The Shape of Things by Dayle
Ann Dodds to review basic shapes in our environment with students. I will put
the students in four groups and have each group make a different shape using
their bodies. I will ask the rest of the students who are observing to identify which
shape each group makes and how they know what shape it was. We will then
pass around a bag of two dimensional cardboard shapes (depending on class
size, 5 or 6 each of circle, square, rectangle, triangle). Each child will place a
hand in the bag and describe one shape to the group by how it feels. Then the
group will try and name the shape. I will ask, “How did you know it was that
shape?” or “How many vertices does a triangle have?” or “What makes a circle a
circle?”, etc. I might ask, “If you were a shape, which one would you choose and
why?” or “Why is it important to know shapes?” (stop sign, yield signs,
RRcrossings), or “In what careers would it be important to know about different
shapes and sizes?”. (builders, care designers, etc.) Then I will have each child
write something they know for sure about shapes on a sticky paper and place it
on the front board.
Specialized Vocabulary Development: This will lead us into a discussion of the
vocabulary necessary to know. I will need to make sure that we have covered
the following vocabulary: circle, rectangle,rhombus, square, triangle, corner,
vertices, face, side, attribute, open shapes, closed shapes, and shape template.
We will discuss each shape and some attributes from what they just did by
feeling the shapes. I may ask, “What is another name for a corner? or “What
attribute makes a square different from a rectangle?” and so forth.
Investigate/Explore:
I will ask the students, “What are the basic shapes?” The students will each
draw a shape from the bag. There will be 5 or 6 of each basic shape in the bag.
The shapes drawn will determine which group each student will join, ie, all circles
will become the Circle Group. I will have poster board, magazines, paper,
pictures, glue, scissors, pattern blocks, and shape templates available. Each
group will then take a piece of poster board and search through the magazines
and pictures looking for their shape. They may also draw or trace some shapes
from pattern blocks, or shape templates. Groups will create a Shape Collage
with the examples of their shape that they have found or created. They will have
the name of their shape on the top of the paper, their pictures throughout the
middle of the paper and then, as a group, they will write a definition of the shape
on the bottom of the paper. They will then post their poster on the front board.
If there are students who still have trouble recognizing the shape they are
working on, I will take them off to the side and have them describe the shape to
me and give me a definition they can defend. Then I will have them look around
the room and see if they see any of that shape and if so I will have them draw
what they saw on their paper. Then they can rejoin their group and help make
the shape collage of their chosen shape.
Summarize/Debrief the Lesson:
We will meet back as a group, each group sitting in front of their collage. Each
group will then get a chance to stand and explain their collage and defend their
definition of the shape. The whole group will then ask if there are any questions
or if someone wants to share something relevant. When all groups have had a
turn, I will ask the class , “How can shapes be described?” and “How are shapes
used in our environment?”
Reflection: I will read the book, The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by
Dr. Seuss and we will discuss if we had found of all the things that are made of
shapes represented in the book. If there are still children having trouble
identifying shapes, they can go to the kidspiration.com website to
make and play some shapes there.
Materials/Resources/Websites: The books are, The Shape of Things
by Doyle Ann Dodds, and The Shape of Me and Other Stuff by
Dr. Seuss. Poster board, pencils, markers, magazines, papers,
pictures, glue, scissors, pattern blocks, shape template, bag, and
computers in room will be available.
Duration: 90 minutes – 1 session
Teacher notes: The students should have prior knowledge of basic shapes.
They covered them in kindergarten. We will be building on what they already
know. We will be extending their knowledge of shapes by focusing on their
attributes. If you do not have the two books that are listed and used in the
lesson, but you have books that cover shapes that you are more comfortable with
you may easily change that part of the lesson.