Lesson 13

Describe and Match Shapes

Warm-up: How Many Do You See: Add On and Rearrange (10 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this warm-up is for students to subitize or use grouping strategies to describe the number of dots they see and how they see them. Students have an opportunity to notice and make use of structure (MP7) because each dot image builds from the previous one, and students can think about adding on one or rearranging the dots rather than counting.

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • “How many do you see? How do you see them?”
  • Flash the image.
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time

Activity

  • Display the image.
  • “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
  • 1 minute: partner discussion
  • Record responses.
  • Repeat for each image.

Student Facing

How many do you see?
How do you see them?

Dot image.

Dot image.

Dot image.

Student Response

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Activity Synthesis

  • “What helped you see how many dots there were each time?” (In the second image I saw 3 and 1 more and I know that is 4. In the last one I saw 2 and 2.)

Activity 1: Where are the Pattern Blocks? (10 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to identify the location of shapes based on positional words. The words above, below, next to, and beside are the focus of this activity, but other positional words can be used.
Representation: Access for Perception. Students with color blindness may benefit from additional guidance to identify which shapes to pay attention to, and which colors to use. As the instructions are read aloud, point to a visual display of the task or hold up the appropriate pattern blocks. Provide access to colored pencils or crayons with labels that indicate color. 
Supports accessibility for: Visual-Spatial Reasoning

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • Give students colored pencils or crayons.
  • Play one round of I spy with students, using the words above, below, next to, and beside. For example:
    • “I spy something that is above the clock.”
    • “I spy something that is beside the window.”
    • "I spy something that is below the poster.”
  • After students identify each object, invite students to chorally repeat these words or phrases in unison 1–2 times:
    • “The _____ is beside the _____.”
    • “The _____ is below the _____.”

Activity

  • “Color the shape that is above the yellow hexagon blue.”
  • “Color the shape that is next to the triangle red.”
  • "Color the shape that is below the yellow hexagon orange.”
  • “Color the shape that is beside the yellow hexagon purple.”
  • “Draw a new shape below the green triangle.”

Student Facing

Group of 7 pattern blocks. Yellow hexagon. Green triangle.

Synthesis:

Pattern blocks.

Student Response

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Activity Synthesis

  • Display the image:
Pattern blocks.
  • “Where is the red trapezoid pattern block?” (The red trapezoid pattern block is above the orange square.)
  • 30 seconds: quiet think time
  • 30 seconds: partner discussions
  • Share responses.
  • Repeat the steps with the other pattern blocks, recording the words as the students share. Consider creating a poster to display in the classroom.
    Sample poster.

Activity 2: Introduce Match Mine, Pattern Blocks (15 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to learn stage 1 of the Match Mine center. Students use positional words to describe the location of pattern blocks within a larger shape. Students may initially describe the shapes generally or use positional words other than those introduced in the previous activity. Students need repeated experiences hearing positional words in order to develop precision with their language (MP6).

MLR8 Discussion Supports. For each description that is shared, invite students to turn to a partner and restate what they heard using precise mathematical language, specifically positional words.
Advances: Listening, Speaking

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • Give students access to pattern blocks.
  • “We are going to learn a new center called Match Mine. Let’s practice describing a shape together.”
  • Build a shape with 5 pattern blocks.
  • “How could we describe where the square is in this shape?” (The square is below the hexagon.)
  • “How could we describe where the triangle is?” (The triangle is next to the square.)
  • “One partner will build a shape using 5 pattern blocks. Then they will tell their partner about the shape and their partner tries to make the same shape.”
  • “Remember to use positional words that will help your partner put each pattern block in the right place.”
  • “Keep your shapes hidden while you build them. When your partner is done making the shape, check to see if they match.”
  • “Take turns building and describing shapes with your partner.”

Activity

  • 8 minutes: partner work time
  • Monitor for students who describe the location of each pattern block using positional words.

Activity Synthesis

  • Display a shape made up of 5 pattern blocks, including a triangle.
  • “How would you tell your partner where to put the triangle?”

Activity 3: Centers: Choice Time (20 minutes)

Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to choose from activities that offer practice building shapes and putting together shapes to form larger shapes.

Students choose from any stage of previously introduced centers.

  • Match Mine
  • Geoblocks
  • Build Shapes
  • Pattern Blocks
  • Less, Same, More

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Required Preparation

  • Gather materials from:
    • Match Mine, Stage 1
    • Geoblocks, Stages 1 and 2
    • Build Shapes, Stages 1 and 2
    • Pattern Blocks, Stages 1-5
    • Less, Same, More, Stages 1-4

Launch

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

Activity

  • Invite students to work at the center of their choice. 
  • 8 minutes: center work time
  • “Choose what you would like to do next.”
  • 8 minutes: center work time

Student Facing

Choose a center.

Match Mine

Center. Match Mine.

Geoblocks

Build Shapes

Center activity, build shapes.

Pattern Blocks

Center Activity. Pattern blocks.

Less, Same, More

Center. Less, Same, More.

Activity Synthesis

  • “If your partner gets stuck, how can you help them without telling them the answer?”

Lesson Synthesis

Lesson Synthesis

“Today we described how we put pattern blocks together to make larger shapes. What are some of the words we used to help us describe where the pattern blocks were in the larger shape?”

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

Cool-Down

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