Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
Measurement Topic
This standard is reported on the report card in these quarters as follows:
Kindergarten Students Learning Kindergarten Standards
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Quarter 3
Quarter 4
Report Card Measurement Topic: Reason about shapes and their attributes.
About the Math
Skills and concepts below are learning goals for this standard.
Identify shapes regardless of their orientation or overall size(squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres)
Identify shapes correctly even when their size and orientation is unusual or different.
At this level of understanding, students need to recognize shapes and begin to notice their properties. Recognizing that some shapes have three sides, four sides, no sides is an important observation. Young children need experiences with recognizing two- and three-dimensional shapes. Most materials that teach children about shapes introduce some (triangles, rectangles, and squares) in rigid ways that wind up being exemplars. Shapes should be presented in different variants and orientations. For instance, triangles should be more than equilateral and not presented with the vertex at the top. Likewise, rectangles should be introduced in a variety of ways, showing varying orientation and length of sides. As all rectangles have four straight sides and four square corners, children should be taught that a square is a special type of rectangle. Squares have four straight sides of equal lengths and square corners.
Progression of Standard within Kindergarten
This progression informs how to develop the standard within the grade level. This progression is provided by HCPSS Elementary Mathematics.
Progression Throughout Year
Quarter 1
Quarter 2
Quarter 3
Quarter 4
Identify shapes regardless of their orientation or overall size(squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres)
Identify shapes correctly even when their size and orientation is unusual or different.
Describe two-dimensional shapes (circles, triangles, rectangles, and squares) by the number of sides and corners.
Describe why square is a special kind of rectangle.
These tasks can be used with small group or whole group instruction.
Build a rectangle using AngLegs. Ask students if they know what the shape is called (rectangle). Ask students to build the same rectangle. Put several finished rectangles in a line. How do we know these are all the same? Build the same rectangle as before and add it to the line of rectangles but use a different orientation (turn it sideways). What shape is this? How do you know it is still a rectangle? Build a new rectangle with the same scale (bigger or larger) and add it to the collection of rectangles. What shape is this? How do you know if it is still a rectangle? Have students spend time building as many different rectangles as they can with the AngLegs. You can repeat this activity with triangles and squares.
Show a variety (six to ten) of different shapes. These can be drawings or physical shapes. Tell students that you have chosen one of the shapes to be your mystery shape. Students can ask yes or no questions to figure out your mystery shape. After a student asks a question about the mystery shape, ask which shapes can be eliminated or taken away?
Using multiple sets of attribute blocks spread out over the table, give clues to help students sort the shapes by the said attribute. (i.e.: "Find all the shapes that are blue. Now sort the blue shapes by thickness. Now sort the shapes that have 4 equal sides and not 4 equal sides. Which shape is the mystery shape.") Have students take turns giving the mystery clues by sharing color, thickness, size, and then the shape's attributes.
Have students make a picture using pattern blocks. Have them put a folder up and tell a partner how to build the same picture by using the shape names. When the first student is finished telling the partner what shapes to use to make the picture, have them reveal their picture and compare it with their partners picture.
SLIDE-BASED TASKS
These links are HCPSS created instructional tasks. These tasks are provided in Google slides.These tasks should be used for inspiration and resources, but instruction should start with students having the opportunity to engage with the math first(often involving physical and/or visual models) followed by discussion and explicit instruction to ensure student understanding.
These publications have been provided for each school. They are typically stored in team closets or the media center. Check with your team leader if you cannot find them.
All kindergarten teams have been provided with the resources listed below.
Print Resources
Book Thumbnail
Title
Reference
Hands-On Standards published by: Learning Resources
Lesson 3, Plane Shapes and Real Life Objects, p. 68
Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics by: John A. Van de Walle and Lou Ann H. Lovin
Hidden Positions? - Activity 7.2, p. 213
Activity 7.1, What's My Shape, p. 195
For further Instructional Activities from this text, refer to Activity 7.6 (207), Activity 7.12 (213), and Activity 7.18 (217)
For further reading, see Chapter 7: Geometric Thinking and Geometric Concepts, p. 186-220.
Rich Tasks for Multiple Means of Engagement, Expression, and Representation (UDL)
Develop spatial sense by connecting geometric shapes to students’ everyday lives. Initiate natural conversations about shapes in the environment. Have students identify and name two- and three-dimensional shapes in and outside of the classroom and describe their relative position.
Ask students to find rectangles in the classroom and describe the relative positions of the rectangles they see, e.g. this rectangle (a poster) is over the sphere (globe). Teachers can use an iPad to record these relationships.
Hide shapes around the room. Have students say where they found the shape using positional words, e.g. I found a triangle UNDER the chair.
Tasks Connected to Literature
Suggested titles to support the standard can be found in the table below. Check your school library or Howard County Library System for availability, or purchase using Materials of Instruction (MOI) funds. When available, select links to view activities aligned to each title.
Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
Measurement Topic
The standard is reported on the report card through these measurement topics. Expand the measurement topic for a description of what students who meet expectation are able to do.
Kindergarten Students Learning Kindergarten Standards by Measurement Topic