CLASSROOM SHAPESBy: Courtney Murray

DING! DING! It is the first day of school at Shapetown Elementary and the Kindergarten students are excited to meet their new teacher, Mrs. Geometry.

Mrs. Geometry meets them at the door with a huge smile and says, “I am so glad you are here! We are going to learn all about the wonderful shapes that can be seen around us. Please, come in quickly.”

The children, with smiles on their faces, rapidly form a single file line and walk into Mrs. Geometry’s brightly colored classroom, eager to learn.

What is a shape? In your journal, describe what you think a shapeis and draw an example.

The students file into the classroom and look around. There were so many wonderful things to see in their new classroom.

“Please put your backpacks in the closet and meet me at the carpet,” says Mrs. Geometry. The students place their backpacks in the closet and head to the carpet.

What shapedo you thinkthe rug is? Discuss your thoughts witha partner. (Turn and talk) Whatother shapes do you see?

“Please sit in the shape of a circle on the carpet,” Mrs. Geometry asks the students. She then explains to the students that the carpet is in the shape of a circle so each student should sit near the edge of the carpet. Mrs. Geometry walks around the circle and says, “A circle is a shape that does not have any straight lines or vertices.”

“We can see circles our classroom. The carpet is an example of circle in our classroom. The clock and the hula hoop, are also circles,” explained Mrs. Geometry.

I am confused. What is are vertices? Look at the circle. What do you think vertices might be?After a few minutes of discussion, explain that vertices are spots where two lines meet. They form the points in shapes.

Can you find the circles in the picture? Write down the objects that are in the shapeof a circle in your journal.

“Another shape that we see everyday, is a triangle. A triangle has three sides and three vertices,” states Mrs. Geometry. The students look around the room in search of a triangle.

“Look!” yells David. “I see a triangle.” He points to the triangle shaped table in the middle of the room.

“Great job,” said Mrs.Geometry. “You founda triangle!”

Where else might you seea triangle? Think about lunch in the cafeteria.

Here are some examples of places we may see triangles. Can you find the triangles?

Can you count the number of sides and vertices in this shape?

Can you count the total number of sides and vertices in 3 triangles?

“We can also see shapes such as squares and rectangles in our classroom. A square is a four sided figure with four vertices. The sides in a square are all the same length,” shares Mrs. Geometry.

“A rectangle is a little different,” explains Mrs. Geometry. “A rectangle also has four sides and four vertices but not all of the sides are the same length. In a rectangle each pair of sides is the same length.”

Square

Rectangle

What is the difference between a square and a rectangle? Turn and talk to your shoulder partner.

“Mrs. Geometry! Mrs. Geometry!” yells Molly. “I see another shape in our class. It has eight sides. What is it called?”

Mrs. Geometry looks at the eight sided figure posted on the wall. It is a STOP sign that she uses to signal the students to stop what they are doing.

“I am so glad that you found that shape, Molly,” Mrs. Geometry says. “That shape is an octagon.”

How many sides does an octagon have? How many vertices does an octagon have?

“An octagon has eight sides and eight vertices,” shares Mrs. Geometry.

Mrs. Geometry smiles at the class. “I am so glad all of you came to school today to learn about shapes. We have learned about circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, and octagons. There are so many more shapes in the world. I hope you will take the time to look around and find these amazing shapes!”

The class nods their heads and with their eyes full of wonder, they begin to look at the world through a new math perspective.

THE END