I miss when this thread was called "Share your stuff," because I feel awkward posting in "Artist's Corner." Anyway, I thought I'd share my newest lesson. I think I know why I've been feeling depressed and listless... I haven't been teaching as much this semester! But finally we're getting down to business.
So here's my lesson:
First Grade Geometry
GRADE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS: Identify and classify assorted shapes; be able to name characteristics of shapes like circle, rectangle (including square), rhombus, triangle, etc. Teaching how to tell if shapes are congruent.
Lesson duration: ~ 1 hour
First, my partner and I show pass out a handout with pictures of each shape and blanks next to each shape. Then, on the overhead, I show different shapes. I ask the students if they can name the shapes and what kinds of features they have. As they volunteer answers, we have them write them down. If they run out of ideas, we'll prompt and hint. Then we'll ask where they might have seen the shapes.
After we get some answers, we'll hand out baggies of cut-out shapes and have them make as many pictures as they can with the shapes--we'll suggest things like houses, cars, etc. Then we'll have them write down the names of the shapes on the shapes (to incorporate language--that's big in elementary math).
After they've made some pictures, we'll go into congruence (the teacher might have us use some simpler phrase at first like "the same size and shape.") There will be a few of each shape. We'll have rulers for them to measure, and we'll also show how to place one on top of the other to see if one is longer or shorter. I was also thinking of bringing string so they could wrap it on the outside of the circles and use that to measure the circumference (just to learn how to get an accurate measurement of a circle without just placing the two together). We'll show how congruence stays consistent even if the shapes are in different positions on the overhead by turning the shapes on different size and remeasuring them.
After finishing our discussion on shapes and congruity, we'll ask them again what we learned about shapes today (This is akin to a KWL chart, or a "Know, want to know, and learned" chart--showing prior knowledge versus knowledge missing, then finishing with everything we learned that day). We'll fill in any gaps.
Of course, this isn't the final order. We might wait later to pass out the shapes and make the pictures, and we might have to pick the shapes up early so they're not messing around with them. I'm also working making little rhymes to define the shapes and incorporating movements, since that helps memory.
We're still working on some sort of assessment...
So that's that for now. We'll have it cleaned up and fleshed out tomorrow.
And I dunno, man... Cats in Hats usually just make a big mess of your place and nearly kill your fish.
