Curated OER
2-D and 3-D Presents at Pedro's Party
Fifth graders draw 2-D and 3-D shapes. They sketch and label geometric figures with correct terminology, then explore parallel and perpendicular lines. Pupils sort and classify shapes drawn.
Curated OER
Folk-Art Weathervanes
Students research the history of American Folk Art, as evidenced in weathervanes and whirligigs. They compare and contrast the traditional examples they find with their more modern drawings. They then recognize and apply math terms such...
Illustrative Mathematics
What is a Trapezoid? (Part 2)
This collaborative activity investigates the meaning of a trapezoid and a parallelogram. It begins by presenting two different definitions of a trapezoid. Learners are to reason abstractly the difference between the two definitions and...
Curated OER
Ruler and Compass Constructions
Fourth and fifth graders examine how to construct perpendicular lines and to bisect angles using rulers and compasses in this unit of lessons. They design a number of polygons using these methods.
Curated OER
Many Paths
Students explore the composition and practical application of parallel circuitry, compared to series circuitry. They design and build parallel circuits and investigate their characteristics, and apply Ohm's law. They recognize that...
Curated OER
Volume and Surface Area
Students explore volume and surface area. In this math instructional activity, students fill boxes with cubes to identify the volume of the boxes. Students discuss area.
Curated OER
Flip's Flag
Fifth graders apply the symmetry and angle properties of polygons and use fractions to express the relationships between the areas of rectangles, squares, and triangles. They analyze various country flags and develop mathematical...
Curated OER
Find Someone Who........
Fifth graders identify, describe, and classify lines, line segments, rays, and angles. When given a diagram of a line, they classify the line as perpendicular, parallel, intersecting, vertical, horizontal, and/or diagonal.
Curated OER
Bulbs & Batteries Side by Side
Learners build parallel circuits, exploring how they function and looking at their unique features. They describe how current changes when batteries are added in parallel or removed from a parallel arrangement, demonstrate the process of...
Curated OER
Angles, Parallel Lines, and Polygons
Students examine how to investigate polygons using an instrument of their own construction. They should be able to prove the general formula for the number of degrees in any polygon (including a triangle). Finally they investigate an...
Curated OER
Our Geometic World
Students walk around the neighborhood and identify various polygons and lines in buildings, nature and other objects. They design a building using various geometric patterns, shapes and lines. Students complete a descriptive writing of...
Curated OER
Learning by Logic - Total Surface Area
Geometers calculate the area of plane surfaces using the formulas for the area of a square, rectangle, and triangle. They develop the formula for calculating the total surface area of two geometric solids: the cube and rectangular prism.
Improving Measurement and Geometry in Elementary Schools
The Sum of the Interior Angles of a Polygon
Junior geometers discover that polygons can be decomposed into triangles and that the number of triangles can be determined by a rule. Note that the Geometer’s Sketchpad® software is required to carry out all components of this lesson.
Curated OER
Quilt Squared
Students study West Virginia quilts. For this mathematics lesson, students use symmetry, geometric shapes, and patterns to create their own quilt square.
Curated OER
Polygons and Plane Figures
Students choose a polygon to define and describe, and use Power Point and the Internet to present their polygon.
Curated OER
Reflections
Fifth graders create a reflection of a poygon using a Mira. They discover that a line connecting a vertiex of a polygon and the corresponding vertex of its reflection is perpendicular to the line of reflection. Students create a glide...
Curated OER
Magnificent Mandalas
Students examine the principle of radial symmetry and apply it to an original mandala design. They draw a design using organic and geometric shapes, repeating the design symmetrically around the paper.
Curated OER
Fences and Posts
Fifth graders use Geoboards to demonstrate how shapes can be made by looping the rubber bands over the nails. They make a triangle on their Geoboards. At least one side of the triangle should be either horizontal or vertical. The picture...
Curated OER
Investigating the Idea of Tan
Fifth graders use tan to solve problems involving right-angled triangles. They solve equations of the form tan(8) =a, for a between 180 degrees and 360 degrees. They state the value of tan (8) in special cases.