Geometry: Reasoning With Shapes Math, 3rd Grade

Alyssa Manning

Learning Context Rationale: The world around us is made up of shapes. By the end of this unit, students will be able to recognize the geometric shapes found not only in their mathematics textbook, but also in their own home, on the street, in buildings, and in printed media. The reasoning and problem solving skills the students will develop can be put to use in the real world as they learn to look closer at the world around them and see how the parts can define the whole. Through this learning experience, students will also be able to reason with shapes and their characteristics. Students will understand that shapes in different categories may share characteristics, and that the shared characteristics can define a larger category. Students will compare and contrast shapes, specifically quadrilaterals. Students will recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories. Essential Question(s): Why is it important to be able to describe shapes? Why is it important to be able to describe how things are similar and different?

Learning Experience/Unit Plan Maps:

Lesson Plans:

Materials/Resources: Lesson 1: Triangles! o Flashback! Angles Worksheet o Triangles Angles Worksheet o Triangles Length of Sides Worksheet o Right Angle Finders Index Cards Labeled as Such o Storage Bins Containing: Rulers White Cardstock Scissors Crayons Markers o Ziplock Bags o Laminating Machine o Drawing From Geometry Lessons: Triangles! Worksheet Lesson Two: Quadrilaterals! o Flashback! Triangles Challenge Worksheet o Quadrilateral Guided Notes Worksheet o Colored Popsicle Sticks of Premeasured Lengths o Quadrilateral Compare and Contrast Worksheet o Just the Right Quadrilateral Worksheet o Exit Slip Lesson 3: Interactive Geoboards! o Computers, One for each student o Link for YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5ohtlewREI o Flashback worksheet, Nonagon song o Link for Interactive Geoboard: http://www.mathplayground.com/geoboard.html o Interactive geoboard dot worksheets Lesson 4: Grandfather Tangs Story o Grandfather Tangs Story, by Ann Tompert o Tangram Puzzles for each student o White sheet of paper for each student o Grandfather Tangs Story Think-Pair-Share Worksheet o Grandfather Tangs Story Tangram Worksheet Lesson 5: Geometry Unit Test o Geometry Unit Test o Tangrams o Tangram Images

Time Required: Planning Time: One Week Instructional Time: 5 Days, 5 Lessons, 30-45 Minutes a Day

Reflection: I am aware that math is a subject area that can be intimidating and daunting for students. Even as full grown adults, there is eye-rolling and grunts of disdain when math is mentioned. It is with this in mind that I constructed a learning experience/unit plan that utilized content driven activities in every lesson. In each lesson plan, there is brief instruction given and then students have the opportunity to immediately apply and engage themselves in the lesson content. All learning modalities are stimulated by the procedures. By using process, manipulative materials, interactive technology and literature, the math content within the learning experience/unit plan is reinforced and practiced by the student. The lessons build upon the knowledge from the previous day, creating a natural progression that allows students to be able to link concepts from one lesson to the next. This progression is supported with Flashback! Bell Ringers, which also are to be utilized as formal assessments to make sure students are not missing key concepts needed to understand later lessons. I feel that besides imparting knowledge to students, you need to also impart a joy of learning, regardless of the subject. There are ways to make any subject interesting and enjoyable; you just have to be creative. Usually through these creative applications, students can better get an idea of the larger picture of the content they are learning. Comparing and contrasting quadrilaterals and other polygons may seem very specific, but the deductive reasoning and problem solving skills needed to identify and then classify shapes can be applied to the real-world. Students are being taught how to look carefully at objects and see how the parts can define the whole.