Lesson 9

Shapes Are Everywhere

Warm-up: Which One Doesn’t Belong: Rectangles, Squares, and Triangles (10 minutes)

Narrative

This warm-up prompts students to carefully analyze and compare the attributes of 4 shapes. In making comparisons, students have a reason to use language precisely (MP6). The activity also enables the teacher to hear the words students know and how they talk about attributes of shapes.

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • Display the image.
  • “Pick one that doesn’t belong. Be ready to share why it doesn’t belong.”
  • 1 minute: quiet think time

Activity

  • “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
  • 2–3 minutes: partner discussion
  • Share and record responses.

Student Facing

Which one doesn’t belong?

ABlue rectangle.
BRed rectangle.
CBlue triangle.
DBlue square.

Student Response

Teachers with a valid work email address can click here to register or sign in for free access to Student Response.

Activity Synthesis

  • Display the image of the square.
  • “Noah said that this shape doesn’t belong because it is not a rectangle. What do you think?”
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time
  • Share responses.
  • “A square is a special kind of rectangle.”

Activity 1: School Shape Walk (15 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to identify and name shapes in the environment. The shape walk can take place in the playground, library, or another area of the school. It may be easier for students to use their recording sheet if it is on a clipboard.

When students recognize mathematical features of objects in the real world, they model with mathematics (MP4).

Engagement: Develop Effort and Persistence. Students may benefit from chunking this task into smaller parts. Invite students to look for one shape at a time. Check in with students to provide feedback and encouragement after recording each shape.
Supports accessibility for: Conceptual Processing

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • “We are going to take a walk around the playground. Look for examples of triangles, rectangles, and circles around the playground. Tell your partner about the shapes you find and draw pictures or write words to record what you find.”

Activity

  • 10 minutes: shape walk
  • “Write a number to show how many of each shape you found.”
  • 2 minutes: independent work time

Student Facing

Triangle.

Handwriting lines.
Line to separate the 2 groups.
Rectangle.

Handwriting lines.
Line to separate the 2 groups.
Circle.

Handwriting lines.

Synthesis:

Photograph of a swing. Swing base has 2 sets of parallel sides that meet at right angles. Two three sided shapes at each side of base.

Student Response

Teachers with a valid work email address can click here to register or sign in for free access to Student Response.

Activity Synthesis

  • Invite students to share their recording sheets and the shapes that they found.
  • Display the image or an example from the playground:
    Photograph of a swing. Swing base has 2 sets of parallel sides that meet at right angles. Two three sided shapes at each side of base.
  • “Han found this swing on the playground. Where should he draw this on the recording sheet?” (The swing looks like a rectangle so he could draw it with the rectangles. The sides of the swing look like triangles.)

Activity 2: Create the Shape (15 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to create shapes from components. Students should have access to different materials to create shapes, such as straws from a previous lesson, pipe cleaners, string, or other art supplies. Dot paper is printed in the student workbook for students who choose to draw their shape. As students ask and answer questions about the shapes in the activity synthesis, they have an opportunity to name shapes and informally describe attributes of shapes using precise language (MP6).

MLR7 Compare and Connect. Synthesis: To amplify student language as they answer questions during the gallery walk, encourage students to point to the relevant parts of their display as they speak.
Advances: Representing, Conversing

Required Materials

Required Preparation

  • Students need the straws from the previous lesson and pipe cleaners, string, or other art supplies.

Launch

  • Give students access to materials to create shapes, such as straws, pipe cleaners, string, and crayons or colored pencils.
  • “What was your favorite shape that you found on our shape walk?”
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time
  • Share responses.
  • “Use any materials to make or draw your favorite shape that you found on the shape walk.”

Activity

  • 4 minutes: independent work time

Student Facing

Dot paper.

Student Response

Teachers with a valid work email address can click here to register or sign in for free access to Student Response.

Activity Synthesis

  • “Half the class will stay by the shape they created. Half the class will walk around and look at all the shapes. Ask each person one question about their shape.”
  • 5 minutes: gallery walk
  • “Now the other half of the class will walk around to see the shapes. Remember to ask each person one question about their shape.”
  • 5 minutes: gallery walk

Activity 3: Centers: Choice Time (15 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to choose from activities that offer practice with number and shape concepts.

Students choose from any stage of previously introduced centers.

  • Build Shapes
  • Counting Collections
  • Which One
  • Picture Books
  • Bingo
  • Shake and Spill

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Required Preparation

  • Gather materials from: 
    • Build Shapes, Stages 1 and 2
    • Counting Collections, Stage 1
    • Which One, Stage 1
    • Picture Books, Stages 1–3
    • Bingo, Stages 1 and 2
    • Shake and Spill, Stages 1 and 2

Launch

  • “Today we are going to choose from centers we have already learned.”
  • Display the center choices in the student book.
  • “Think about what you would like to do.”
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time

Activity

  • Invite students to work at the center of their choice.
  • 10 minutes: center work time

Student Facing

Choose a center.

Build Shapes

Center activity, build shapes.

Counting Collections

Center. Counting Collections.

Which One

Picture Books

Center. Picture books.

Bingo

Center. Bingo.

Shake and Spill

Center activity, shake and spill.

Activity Synthesis

  • “What is something you do well while working in centers? What is something you want to continue working on?”

Lesson Synthesis

Lesson Synthesis

“In this section, we have learned all about shapes. What have you learned about shapes?”

Share and record responses.

Cool-down: Unit 3, Section A Checkpoint (0 minutes)

Cool-Down

Teachers with a valid work email address can click here to register or sign in for free access to Cool-Downs.

Student Section Summary

Student Facing

In this section, we noticed shapes in the world around us.

We described and compared shapes.

Shape, looks like a door, crooked, 4 corners.

This shape looks like a door that is crooked.
It has 4 corners.

2 longer sides. 1 shorter side. All 3 sides connected.

This shape has 2 long sides and 1 shorter side.

The shapes are alike because they have straight sides.

The shapes are different because one has 4 sides and one has 3 sides.

We learned the names of these shapes:

circle

Circle.

triangle

Triangle.

rectangle

Rectangle.

square

Square.