Students turn a geometric shape into a picture. For example, a triangle might become a tower, a clown face, or the roof of a house. Investigate and predict the results of combining, subdividing, and changing shapes. Students use tangram pieces to construct triangles, rectangles, squares, and other shapes. Students investigate which pattern block shapes can be formed from the equilateral triangles, recording their results in pictures and on a chart.
Students work in groups to decide how to divide a rectangular candy bar among four people.
The students then compare the various ways that each group solved the problem. Use tessellations to explore properties of geometric shapes and their relationships to the concepts of area and perimeter. Students use Unifix cubes or pattern blocks to create colorful designs. They also discuss why these polygon shapes fit together like a puzzle. Students use different shapes to make quilt patterns.