Thing #4 - Thinkfinity/Lesson #1

Introduction to Geometry:

  Students read the poem "Shapes" from A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein, and create their own illustration of the poem. In this lesson found at http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?ID=L202   students explore geometric figures and positional words.

Shapes

A square was sitting quietly

Outside his rectangular shack

When a triangle came down — keerplunk! —

And struck him in the back.

“I must go to the hospital,”

Cried the wounded square,

So a passing rolling circle

Picked him up and took him there.

After reading the poem, students, will be given geometric shapes (square, rectangle, triangle, and circle).  They will arrange their shapes according to what they hear in the poem and draw a picture to demonstrate it.  After all pictures are finished, show them what the author thought it would look like and compare.

  I will use this lesson soon as an introduction to geometry.  Although they should already know their shapes, it will be a good refresher for them as well as a nice listening skill exercise.