Mathematics Grade 1
Strand: GEOMETRY (1.G.) Standard 1.G.1
Mathematics Grade 1
Strand: MEASUREMENT AND DATA (1.MD.) Standard 1.MD.4
Mathematics Grade 1
Strand: GEOMETRY (1.G.) Standard 1.G.2
This puzzle activity will help students identify and create simple geometric shapes. It will also improve "positional words" such as left, right, top and bottom.
Six Piece Puzzles
Additional Resources
Books
It's important for the children to understand what the positional words mean. Review the words: left, right, top, bottom, middle, between, before, after, above, below, corner. Put these on a word wall and have the students act them out if necessary. Also, review the words for the four shapes and attributes: triangle, circle, square, rectangle, large, small, red, yellow, blue. Make sure you know the difference between on top of and above before you start the game.
During the puzzle activity, it is important for the teacher to know the solution to each puzzle, so that he/she can use the positional words to help students.
This is a good activity for the first of the school year.
5. Understand and use basic concepts and skills.
Invitation to Learn
"Everyone stand up, please. Put your right hand on your left shoulder. Put your left hand on your right shoulder. Put your right hand in the middle of your stomach. Put your left hand high above your head. Put your right pointer finger between your eyes. Put your left thumb on top of your nose. Put your right hand on the bottom of your shirt." Show the math word wall with positional words. The teacher and a student will model a game on the board called The Communication Game. The teacher will be the communicator and a student will be the builder, (who can't talk). As the communicator places a magnetic shape on the magnetic mat he/she needs to describe the shape and the position that the shape is placed on the mat. The builder then places that same shape on his/her mat. A poster board is folded between the communicator and builder, so that neither one can see each other's mats. Play continues until each mat has eight pieces on it. They step back to compare and see if the shapes have been placed in a similar fashion. Then they clear the mats and trade roles. The students would then get to play the game with 24 cutout shapes (triangle, square, circle, rectangle) in three colors (red, yellow, blue) and two sizes (large, small). Walk around and discuss why a shape may have been misplaced on the builder's mat. (Each person has a poster board private office, taped in three sections.)
Six Piece Puzzles
Curriculum Extensions/Adaptations/ Integration
Family Connections
Research Basis
Burger, W.F., Shaughnessy, J.M. (1986). Characterizing the van Heile levels of development in geometry. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Volume 17 (Issue 1), Page 31-48.
Pierre van Heile states that sometimes students fail to reach the descriptive level of geometry in part because they are not offered geometric problems in their early years.
Swindal, Donna Norton. (2000). Learning geometry and a new language. Teaching Children Mathematics, Volume 7 (Issue 4), Pages 246-250.
This article states that students need time and opportunity to develop spatial sense and investigate shapes in a setting that encourages inquiry and immerses students in the experience, language, and conceptual understanding of geometry.