Lesson 2

Attributes of Triangles and Quadrilaterals

Lesson Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for students to use attributes of triangles and quadrilaterals to sort them into more specific categories.

Lesson Narrative

In the previous lesson, students learned that shapes could be sorted into more than one category depending on the attributes being considered. In this lesson, they learn that shapes with the same number of sides can be further sorted into subgroups based on other attributes. As students sort triangles and quadrilaterals into subgroups, they focus on attributes other than the number of sides, such as the length of the sides or the number of angles. Throughout the lesson, if students have trouble determining if sides have the same length, offer rulers to measure the side lengths.

The cards in this lesson will be used again in centers.

  • Representation
  • MLR2

Learning Goals

Teacher Facing

  • Sort triangles and quadrilaterals into subcategories.
  • Understand that shared attributes of shapes can define a larger category, such as triangle or quadrilateral.

Student Facing

  • Let’s sort shapes into more specific categories.

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Materials to Copy

  • Quadrilateral Cards Grade 3
  • Triangle Cards Grade 3

Required Preparation

Activity 1:

  • Create a set of cards from the blackline master for each group of 2 or 4.
  • When copying the card sort triangles, use colored paper to distinguish these cards from the cards in the next activity.

Activity 2:

  • Create a set of cards from the blackline master for each group of 2 or 4. 
  • Bags or envelopes can be used to store sets of cards from this activity for use in the next lesson.

CCSS Standards

Addressing

Lesson Timeline

Warm-up 10 min
Activity 1 15 min
Activity 2 20 min
Lesson Synthesis 10 min
Cool-down 5 min

Teacher Reflection Questions

Today students sorted shapes for different attributes. What strategies for sorting the shapes did you anticipate? Which did you not anticipate?

Suggested Centers

  • Can You Draw It? (1–5), Stage 2: Grade 2 Shapes (Supporting)
  • How Are They the Same? (1–5), Stage 2: Grade 2 Shapes (Supporting)
  • Which One? (K–5), Stage 3: Grade 2 Shapes (Supporting)

Print Formatted Materials

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Additional Resources

Google Slides

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PowerPoint Slides

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