Improving Measurement and Geometry in Elementary Schools
Rep Tiles
In addition to the catchy title, this lesson plan provides upper graders an opportunity to more closely scrutinize the attributes of plane figures. In particular, they focus on the similarity of different shapes. Both whole-class and...
J. Paul Getty Trust
O Greek Shape! O Fair Pose!
Everything old is new again. The Los Angeles J. Paul Getty Museum presents a lesson on how Greek black-figure painting influenced eighteenth century Neoclassical artists. After looking at a series of examples, class members create their...
NOAA
Watching in 3D
Bring the ocean floor to life! Earth science scholars discover the process of deep sea mapping in the third installment in a series of five lessons about ocean exploration. The teacher's guide includes helpful resources, worksheets, and...
Curated OER
If I Had a Robot
Students study writing. In this creative writing lesson, students write a story about having a robot and make a three-dimensional robot to accompany their writing.
Curated OER
Spatial Relationships
Students investigate the geometry concept of spatial relationships. They draw a replica of a cube. Students list the planes on the cube and go into further depth with identifying the parallel line in segments of the cube. The...
Curated OER
Measurement
Seventh graders measure surface area. In this geometry lesson, 7th graders find the surface area of various geometrical shapes. Using a computer program, students compute the area of 2-D and 3-D shapes. Students use...
Curated OER
Whatever Floats Your Boat
Second graders make boats by folding paper. They identify and draw shapes made during the creating process and place lines of symmetry on them. They demonstrate their understanding by completing an activity sheet imbedded in this plan.
Curated OER
Geo Jammin' - Day 4, Lesson 15: Geo Jingo Jivin'
Second graders explore how musical instruments h ave varying geometric shape, and how those geometric shapes correspond to three-dimenaional shapes that students have studied.
Curated OER
Married Math
Students participate in a two-week real-life math unit. In pairs, they calculate salaries, taxes, and a budget, plan a vacation, buy insurance, make a will, and design a room. They conduct Internet research to plan the vacation, and...
Cornell University
Constructing and Visualizing Topographic Profiles
Militaries throughout history have used topography information to plan strategies, yet many pupils today don't understand it. Scholars use Legos and a contour gauge to understand how to construct and visualize topographic profiles. This...
National Gallery of Canada
Taken Out of Perspective
Art does not always have to look perfectly realistic. Play with proportion and shape by stretching images. Pupils study works of art by Picasso, Cézanne, and Monet before selecting a photograph to adapt. They use a distorted grid to...
Curated OER
Geo Jammin' - Day 2, Lesson 6: Rhyme and Reason
Students listen to the poem "Shapes" by Shel Silverstein in order to accurately and specifically describe shapes' rules/traits in their journals. They illustrate the poem and take turns reading during a creative shared reading session.
Curated OER
"School Shape Scavenger Hunt"
Students, in groups, venture onto the schoolground on a scavenger hunt for shapes. They are given tasks: recorder, team leader, presenter, reporter, and behavior guidelines and a time limit. They search the school for shapes found in...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Geoboards
Students describe shapes to their classmates using specific properties and practice making triangles on geoboards. In this geoboards lesson plan, students use string on the geoboards.
Curated OER
SuperShapes, Part 1; "Tri"ing Triangles
An outstanding lesson on triangles awaits your math scholars. Learners focus on the triangle, which is the strongest of all polygons. They see the role that triangles play in the design of buildings, and learn about triangle...
Curated OER
Dimensional Flower Garden
Young scholars relate the colors in a garden to those in a rainbow by creating a multicolored three-dimensional garden portrait. They read, "Planting a Rainbow" by Lois Ehlert, then construct their garden with colored paper on white...
Curated OER
Watching Wheatstacks
Students explore basic shapes in Monet's paintings Wheatstacks, Snow Effect and Morning. They study about light and shadows through reading and experimenting with three-dimensional models and flashlights.
Curated OER
Vasarely Was A Colorful Fellow
Eighth graders create artwork inspired by the work of Victor Vasarely. For this op art lesson, 8th graders explore color theory and color mixing. Students create ten shapes to use in their artwork and over the course of two weeks,...
Curated OER
Polygon Perimeters
Students complete worksheets where they calculate the perimeter of polygons. In this perimeter of polygons lesson plan, students divide complex shapes into simple shapes to find the perimeter.
Curated OER
Governor's Garden
Students review types of polygons and list several examples of each. They assume the role of a landscape artist interviewing for a job. They create sketches of their plans for six polygonal gardens and write an expository paragraph...
Curated OER
Angles Lesson Plan
Students explore the relationship of angles as it relates to 2 and 3-D shapes. For this geometry lesson, students differentiate between acute, obtuse, right, alternate interior, exterior and adjacent angles. They manipulate a math...
Improving Measurement and Geometry in Elementary Schools
The Sum of the Interior Angles of a Polygon
Junior geometers discover that polygons can be decomposed into triangles and that the number of triangles can be determined by a rule. Note that the Geometer’s Sketchpad® software is required to carry out all components of this...
Curated OER
Geometric Figures
Students identify two and three dimensional shapes and use appropriate geometric vocabulary to write a description of the figure by taking pictures of geometric figures in their own environment.