Mathematics Shapes: Two-Dimensional Shapes What: Two-dimensional shape are those with two dimensions, such as width and height. Squares, circles, triangles, and diamonds are examples of two dimensional shapes. Why: Learning about shapes, how we define them, and what we can do with them is the foundation of geometry. Children can learn about the dimensions of shapes by exploring, examining, comparing, and sorting. Architects, jewelers, fashion designers, car designers, construction workers, astronomers, application developers, and robotics engineers all rely on geometry to do their work. How: 1. Shape Hunt

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Set up a shape hunt for children to search for specific shapes. Take note of how children identify similar shapes, for example, through conversations with peers or by comparing similarly shaped objects.

2. Puzzle Fun

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Provide opportunities for children to explore different types of puzzles, such as pegboard and large jigsaw puzzles. Use puzzles with familiar images like animals or the alphabet so children can use images as a guide to fit shapes together.

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Show children the image as a starting point. Observe children as they fit pieces together — are they just looking at the image or also examining the shapes of puzzles. Introduce words like “rotate” and describe attributes like “straight edges” to help them explore positioning and shape characteristics.

3. Snack Shapes

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Purchase snacks in different shapes and sizes, and distribute them to children at snack time. Talk about the attributes of items that are the same but look different. For example, These are both

cheese, but your piece of cheese is a round circle, and mine has straight edges and looks like a square.

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Write down the words children use to describe their snacks. Keep a running list. Each day, use the list to ask children about the characteristics of their snacks.

4. Shape Collage

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Provide children with collage items of different sizes, colors, and shapes. Invite them to use these to create their own collages. Model planning and placement by asking children to consider where to place their shapes in relation to one another.

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Note how children plan their collages. Are they matching and sorting shapes? Are they lining up similar items into the same area (e.g., all of the purple shapes are in this corner).

5. Point Out Shapes

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During the day, point out different shapes you see in the classroom, such as the shapes of tables, windows, and cubbies.

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Ask children to find similarly shaped manipulatives that will help them identify shapes they see in the classroom. Use prompting questions to guide their search, such as, Find a manipulative that is the same shape as the window.

6. Family Chat

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Talk with or write to families about the different shapes children are learning about. Ask families if they have observed or heard their child talking about shapes. Also ask them to share details of what they’ve observed, and encourage them to reinforce their child’s learning about shapes outside of school.

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Mathematics Shapes: Three-Dimensional Shapes What: Three-dimensional shapes are those with height, width, and depth. Cubes, pyramids, cones, cylinders, and spheres are examples of three-dimensional shapes. Why: Learning about shapes, how we define them, and what we can do them are the foundation of geometry. Children can learn about the dimensions of shapes by exploring, examining, comparing, and sorting. How: 1. Block Building

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Provide blocks in various shapes for children to explore, such as cylinders, cones, cubes, and more. Reinforce children’s selection of specific blocks by identifying each one by the appropriate name.

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Occasionally check in with children to help them associate block shapes with their names. Ask questions like, Which blocks are beside, or next to, the cylinders? Point to shapes as you call out the names of shapes so they can begin to see the link between the name and actual shape.

2. Outdoor Explorers

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Take a walk outside and invite children to collect and take pictures of what they see. Review the items and pictures as a group, and ask children to describe their characteristics. Place the item at the top of a column and write descriptive words in each column.

3. Recycle, Reuse

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Use various reusable items to create 3-D art. Invite children to bring in empty paper towel tubes, boxes, straws, or cotton balls. Talk about the differently shaped items that are collected, and invite children to use them to make a 3-D sculpture.

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Ask children to compare the items with block area shapes to trigger their recall of shape names.

4. 3-D Mystery Bag

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Place items of different dimensions inside a bag. Invite children to explore the items with their hands, and encourage them to use their words to describe different traits (e.g., size, shape, texture, material, parts).

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Take note of children’s vocabulary and ability to describe what they are feeling. Keeping similar items outside of the box, such as toilet paper rolls and unit blocks, can help jog children’s memory so they can guess the mystery item.

5. Shape Museum

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Invite children to create a shape museum that they can guide their families through. Encourage children to locate items of the same shapes into small groups. Then ask them to describe and write down the characteristics of each item. Help them write words as needed, or record their descriptions so that they can be replayed for visitors.

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Take pictures of children as they assemble materials. Create a book that shows the final group. Invite children to spend some time reflecting on why they grouped those materials together. Ask them, for instance, How are they similar? How are they different from the other shape groups?

6. Family Chat Professional Development by Johns Hopkins School of Education, Center for Technology in Education

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Write a letter with children inviting families to attend the Shapes Museum. Send the “Shapes Museum” book home with children whose families cannot attend, and ask them to search for similar shapes in their homes.

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Mathematics Shapes: Combining Shapes What: Combining shapes involves putting various shapes together to create something, whether it’s a new shape or an object (e.g., combining two triangles to create a diamond). Why: Combining shapes requires children to manipulate, rotate, and reposition items. It builds knowledge of the characteristics of shapes while also giving them opportunities to explore, examine, and compare shapes, and ultimately start to understand basic geometry. How: 1. Simon Says

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Play Simon Says using shapes. For example, Simon says find a triangle. Encourage children to find shapes embedded in other shapes (e.g., a circle cut on the lid of a lunchbox).

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Record shapes that children find around the classroom, and encourage your students to search throughout the day.

2. Body Shapes

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What shapes can children make with their own bodies? Model an example, and then challenge children to create a shape on their own. Next, have them partner with a classmate. What shapes can they make together?

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Watch children as they fold their body into various shapes, and ask them to describe what they’re doing. Document what you see and hear.

3. Shape Magnets

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Let children play with various shape magnets. Encourage them to move the shapes about to see what they can make.

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Record children’s use of rotation and repositioning to make shapes, along with the words they use to describe their creations.

4. Geoboards

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Provide opportunities for children play with geoboards. If needed, you can make a simple geoboard by pounding nails into a piece of wood. Next, give children hairbands (or rubber bands) that they can manipulate to stretch across nails to make various shapes. Encourage a focused exploration of the types of lines we see in shapes, curved shapes, and straight lines.

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Help children make connections between their actions and the shapes they create by talking with children about how each small move alters the shape in some way. 5. Sidewalk Chalk Tracing

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Invite children to use chalk to trace different shapes on the sidewalk. Encourage them to connect shapes with different types of lines or shapes.

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Take pictures of the different shapes children make and create a book. Encourage children to use the book to tell each other stories about the shapes.

6. Family Chat

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Share pictures of children’s shape creations with their families. Talk with them about how children are learning to combine shapes to make new shapes. Encourage children to talk about their creations with their family, as well.

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Encourage families to create shapes during home routines. For instance, families can create various shapes with suds during bath time or while baking cookies, folding laundry, and raking leaves.

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