Tangram Fun

Subject(s): ELA, Mathematics

Length of the lesson: 1 hour

Thinking Skills:

Analyzing
Deductive reasoning
Identify attributes
 

New York State Standards:

1.1C (STD - Standard 1:Language for Information and Understanding: Commencement: Listening and Reading) Listening and reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data facts and ideas; discovering relationships concepts and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral written and electronic sources.
1.3E (STD - Standard 1: Analysis Inquiry and Design: Elementary: Mathematical Analysis) Critical thinking skills are used in the solution of mathematical problems.
3.4.1E (STD - Standard 3: Mathematics: Elementary: Modeling/Multiple Representation) Students use concrete materials to model spatial relationships.
3.4.5E (STD - Standard 3: Mathematics: Elementary: Modeling/Multiple Representation) Students use physical materials pictures and diagrams to explain mathematical ideas and processes and to demonstrate geometric concepts.
 

Goal:

Children will learn the 7 geometric shapes needed to make a tangram square and use these shapes to make the shapes shown in the story Three Pigs, One Wolf, and Seven Magic Shapes by Grace Maccarone. Copyright 1997 by Scholastic Inc.

Products: Make a tangram model.
 

Procedure for conducting this activity:

Materials

    1. Story: Three Pigs, One Wolf, and the Seven Magic Shapes by Grace Maccarone
    2. Construction paper shape pictures
    3. Large, magnetic set tangram shapes
    4. Individual tangram sets (1 per child)
    5. Paper set of tangram cutouts (1 per child)
    6. Black construction paper (1 per child)

Procedure

    1. Introduce (identify) tangram puzzle pieces to children - children find their matching pieces.
    2. Model making a square from the puzzle pieces- see if there is more than one way to make a square.
    3. Read story - stop when a tangram picture appears. Model the picture (paper sample + magnetic shapes) - children make the shape with their tangram sets.
    4. Following story, pass out cutout sheet of shapes and black construction paper.
    5. Children will make a paper copy of one of the shapes from the story.

Center Activities

    1. Tangram game - roll shape dice to complete a picture.
    2. Copy shape pictures.
    3. Fill in a shape outline with your shapes.