Lesson plan of Properties of Shapes

Objectives (5-7 minutes)

1. Identify and name plane shapes and geometric solids: Students should be able to identify plane shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle) and simple geometric solids (sphere, cube, cylinder, pyramid) and name them correctly.

2. Compare properties of shapes: Students should be able to compare the properties of shapes, such as the number of sides, the type of sides (straight or curved), and the number of vertices (points where sides meet).

3. Recognize shapes in the environment: Students should be able to recognize the shapes they have studied in objects of daily life and the environment around them.

Secondary objective:

• Encourage teamwork and communication: Throughout the lesson, students will be encouraged to work in groups, sharing their findings and ideas with one another. This secondary objective will reinforce the importance of teamwork and effective communication.

Introduction (10-12 minutes)

1. Review of previous content: The teacher should begin the class by reminding students about the basic geometric shapes that they already know, such as the square, rectangle, triangle, and circle. This can be done through a quick review, showing images or drawing shapes on the board and asking the students to name each one. (3-4 minutes)

2. Problem situations: The teacher should then present two problem situations that involve shape recognition and their properties. For example, you could show a picture of a juice box that is a rectangular prism shape and ask the students how many faces, vertices, and edges that shape has. Another problem situation could be showing a picture of a soccer ball which is assembled by many pentagons and hexagons, and challenge the students to recognize these shapes on a tridimensional object. (5-6 minutes)

3. Contextualization: The teacher should explain to the students that the knowledge of geometric shapes and their properties is very important, because it helps us understand and describe the world around us. For example, architects use geometric shapes to design houses and buildings, and artists use shapes to create art. Also, geometry is used in many other careers, like engineers, interior designers, and even in computer games! (3-4 minutes)

4. Introduction to the topic: To generate students' interest, the teacher could share some curiosities about geometric shapes. For instance, it could be said that the circle is the only shape that has only one side and one vertex, and that the sphere is the only tridimensional shape that does not have edges nor vertices. Another curiosity is that the square is the only shape that can be transformed into any other shape in a fair way, without any gaps or overlaps. (2-3 minutes)

Development (20-25 minutes)

1. Activity "Create your shape"

• The teacher should divide the class into small groups of 4 or 5 students and give each group a piece of paper, colored pencils, and scissors.

• Each group will be asked to "create" a plane shape or a simple geometric solid, remembering the shapes that were reviewed in the introduction phase. They should draw the shape on the paper, and then cut it out.

• After all the groups have finished, the teacher should collect the shapes and distribute them randomly to each group, so that they each have one shape created by a different group.

• Now the groups will need to identify the shape they received and describe its properties (number of sides, type of sides, number of vertices, etcetera). They will also have to recognize that shape in some object in the room or the school building, and either draw or describe that object in their paper.

• The teacher should circulate between groups helping them identify the shapes and clarify any doubts that may arise.

2. Activity "Shape Hunt in the Environment"

• The teacher should take the class on a short walk in the school environment, such as the courtyard or teachers' lounge, having the students pay attention to their surroundings, observing the shapes around them.

• Each group should be given a sheet of paper and pencil, and their mission is to "Hunt" for plane and solid shapes in the environment. They should draw the shapes they find and describe their properties.

• After the walk, the groups should present to the class what shapes they found, and discuss their properties. The teacher should reinforce their correct observations and rectify any errors that they make.

Both of these activities are designed to be interactive, promoting the students' engagement with the topic. They also enable the students to put what they've learned into practical use, both when creating and describing shapes, and when recognizing and describing shapes in the environment. In addition, these activities are intended to promote communication and collaboration between members of the group.

Return (10-15 minutes)

1. Group Discussion

• The teacher calls on all the groups to return to the circle and asks each group to share the shapes that they created and those that they encountered during the shape hunt, explaining their properties.

• During the presentations, the teacher should encourage all group members to participate, asking questions to make sure that students have comprehended the properties of the shapes. For example, the teacher could ask "How many sides does a square have?" or "How many edges does a cylinder have?"

• The teacher should praise the efforts of all groups, highlight what they did well, and correct any errors that they made in identifying or describing the shapes.

2. Theory Connection

• After the students have presented, the teacher should conduct a general summary, emphasizing the most important properties of plane shapes and geometric solids.

• To aid in comprehension, the teacher might use drawings on the board, concrete tridimensional objects (if they are available) or images in the students' textbooks or in audiovisual aids.

• The teacher should reinforce the concepts that they have learned, by explaining for example that all plane shapes have sides, vertices and are bidimensional, whereas geometric solids have faces, vertices, edges and are tridimensional.

• The teacher should connect the practical activity with the theory, asking students how they applied what they learned in order to create and identify the shapes.

3. Final Reflection

• To close the class, the teacher asks students to take a minute to reflect on what they learned.

• The teacher could ask two simple questions to guide their reflection: "What was the most difficult shape to recognize?" and "What is your favorite shape and why?".

• After reflecting, the teacher could call on some students to share their answers with the group, promoting a shared understanding of their experiences and valuing each student's opinion.

• The teachers should reinforce that all answers are valid, and what is important is for each student to participate and feel comfortable expressing their own opinions and ideas.

This closing moment is essential in order to allow the teacher to assess student learning, determine any difficulties they may have, and reinforce concepts that still haven't been fully understood. Moreover, group discussion and reflection enable students to solidify what they've learned and see how these mathematical concepts apply to the real world.