We've had shapes on our mind in during Math Workshop lately! As I've told students, Geometry is one of my favorite parts of math (though I love teaching math in general). There is just so much to explore with Geometry, and it's very hands-on in nature. We are cruising right through this unit, as many of the concepts and activities have been covered through our math learning stations and exploration opportunities throughout the year. We have been honing in on our "math talk," especially during our mini-lesson and small group time. We've been thinking and talking a lot about how shapes are similar and different, where we see them in the 'real world,' and how you can compose and decompose shapes (a common theme in math). For example, many students are so excited to discover that a square can be cut in half not only to make rectangles, but also to make triangles! And did you know that you can fit six triangles into a pattern block hexagon? Or three triangles and a trapezoid? It's all very exciting! (And, in case you were wondering, very in line with Common Core). For more details on that, click here.
Students have been spontaneously noticing and commenting on shapes that are all around us in our room and in our world, and they are often using the correct names for them. Rectangle vs.square is a bit tricky still, though many are starting to see how they are alike and different. Students had an opportunity to document their shape "noticing" via the iPad camera and the PicCollage app. It's AMAZING how quickly students learn to use new apps with a minimal amount of modeling/explanation. Wow! Some of the shape explorations are pictured below--the collages were created with PicCollage. The task was to choose a shape, take four or more pictures of examples of that shape in our room, and to create a digital collage. Some found a mix of shapes and excitedly came back to show me them, and some stuck with just one. The next step--to label those shapes, compare them via a voice recording...there are so many possibilities. In the meantime, I'm so excited about how quickly and eagerly students took on this new task, and I'm eager to show them more ways to share their learning via the iPads!
Students have been spontaneously noticing and commenting on shapes that are all around us in our room and in our world, and they are often using the correct names for them. Rectangle vs.square is a bit tricky still, though many are starting to see how they are alike and different. Students had an opportunity to document their shape "noticing" via the iPad camera and the PicCollage app. It's AMAZING how quickly students learn to use new apps with a minimal amount of modeling/explanation. Wow! Some of the shape explorations are pictured below--the collages were created with PicCollage. The task was to choose a shape, take four or more pictures of examples of that shape in our room, and to create a digital collage. Some found a mix of shapes and excitedly came back to show me them, and some stuck with just one. The next step--to label those shapes, compare them via a voice recording...there are so many possibilities. In the meantime, I'm so excited about how quickly and eagerly students took on this new task, and I'm eager to show them more ways to share their learning via the iPads!
We have also been thinking about how combining shapes allows us to make new things. Pattern blocks are a perfect medium for this exploration. Students were really excited to make a star with pattern blocks and then make the same shape with their legs as they passed a soccer ball during indoor recess! Great connections!!!