Mathematics — Grade 1

Super shape shifter

Students learn shapes and put them together to make other shapes.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Mathematics)

By Becky Woolard.

Open the gate, close the gate

Open the Gate, Close the Gate is a variety of activities to provide practice identifying and discriminating between open and closed figures. The activities are designed to meet varying learning styles, and to move students from the concrete level to the abstract level of learning.

Format: lesson plan (grade K Mathematics)

By Mary Deans.

Is it open or closed?

Students will identify and create open and closed figures using labeled cards and pipe cleaners.

Format: lesson plan (grade K Mathematics)

By Vickie Fender.

Hula hoop sorting

Students will use two large hula hoops to form a Venn Diagram. Then, using various colored paper shapes, they will recognize, and identify circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, trapezoids, and parallelograms.

Format: lesson plan (grade K Mathematics)

By Diane Jackson.

Geometry and art: Art museum visit

This lesson is the second in a three-part unit integrating math, writing and visual arts. In this lesson students apply their knowledge of geometry by sorting, classifying and counting plane geometric figures during a visit to the art museum to look at and compare twentieth- century paintings. Students then collect data and share what they observe.

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Visual Arts Education and Mathematics)

By Loretta Hopper.

Resources on the web

Three sides

This lesson, one of a five-part unit from Illuminations titled “Investigating Shapes: Recognizing, Constructing, and Identifying Triangles,” students identify and recognize triangles using multiple representations. Students use attribute-blocks... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Mathematics)

Provided by: Illuminations

Teaching shapes using read-alouds, visualization, and sketch to stretch

This ReadWriteThink lesson encourages strategic reading and real-world math connections using a variety of techniques. Students explore shape and pattern through an adapted sketch to stretch strategy and read-alouds of winter-themed books. In the final... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts and Mathematics)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Investigating the concept of triangle and properties of polygons

This two-part example from Illuminations describes activities using interactive geoboards to help students identify simple geometric shapes, describe their properties, and develop spatial sense. This first part, Making Triangles, focuses attention on the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 Mathematics)

Provided by: Illuminations

I've seen that shape before

In this lesson from Illuminations, students learn the names and explore properties of solid geometric shapes. In a variety of activities, students use physical models of simple solid shapes, and identify these shapes in the real-world and in pictures found... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Mathematics)

Provided by: Illuminations

Going on a shape hunt: Integrating math and literacy

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students are introduced to shapes through appropriate children's books and many different learning modalities. They then learn shape names, locate shapes in their environment, practice spelling out the names of items and shapes... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts and Mathematics)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Geoboards

This lesson, one of a five-part unit from Illuminations titled “Investigating Shapes: Recognizing, Constructing, and Identifying Triangles,” students identify and recognize triangles using multiple representations, locate triangles in their... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Mathematics)

Provided by: Illuminations

Figuring in football

In this lesson, one of a five-part unit from Illuminations titled “Mathematics and Football,” students examine the influences of pattern, symmetry, and design in the real world, by looking at a football field. A football field has numerous figures... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Mathematics)

Provided by: Illuminations

Comparison estimator

This activity allows the user to compare two quantities (which may be the number of objects in each of two sets, the lengths of two curves, or the area of two shapes) by estimating. (Learn more)

Format: activity/lesson plan (grade K–12 Mathematics)

Provided by: Shodor