Kindergarten to Grade 3 Geometry and Spatial Sense

GRADE 2 LEARNING ACTIVITY: GEOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPSLEARNING CONNECTION 1Shapely SilhouettesMaterials– barrier (e.g., file folder, book)– overhead projector– three-dimensional figuresUse a barrier to block students’ view as you place a three-dimensional figure on theoverhead projector. Turn on the projector. Ask students to look at the projected shapeand to try to determine the three-dimensional figure. Have students give reasons fortheir conjectures. For example, if you place a cylinder on the projector and students seea circle, they might guess that the figure is a cylinder or a cone. After projecting oneface, turn the figure onto another face, and ask students whether they want to changetheir conjecture.LEARNING CONNECTION 2Shape FlashMaterials– blank paper (a few sheets per student)– GeoRel2.BLM5a-f: Shape Flash Cards (1 set)Provide students with blank paper. Flash each shape from GeoRel2.BLM5a-f: Shape FlashCards for two to three seconds. On the blank paper, have students draw the shape theyremember seeing. Show the shape again and ask students to compare their drawings withthe original shape.LEARNING CONNECTION 3Pizza ParlourMaterials– pattern blocks– GeoRel2.BLM6: Pizza Parlour Game Board (1 per student)– spinner made with GeoRel2.BLM7: Pizza Parlour Spinner, a paper clip, and a pencil(1 per group of students)Have students play this game with a partner or in groups of three or four. The objectof the game is to be the first player to fill his or her game board with pattern blocks.Explain that players, in turn, spin the spinner, take the pattern block indicated by thespinner, and place the pattern block on their game board. Tell students that as the game140 A Guide to Effective Instruction in Mathematics, Kindergarten to Grade 3 – Geometry and Spatial Sense