Mathematics — Grade 3

Resources on the web

Seeing geometry in art

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students explore the geometric figures Wassily Kandinsky used in his art. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Rectangles and parallelograms

In this lesson, from Illuminations, students use dynamic software to examine the properties of rectangles and parallelograms and then identify what distinguishes a rectangle from a more general parallelogram. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Planning a mini-quilt

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students create a quilt using three transformations (reflection, rotation, and translation) and then investigate the ways shapes can be colored to show one-half and one-fourth. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Parts of a square

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students investigate the ways shapes can be divided into equal pieces with one or two cuts. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Paper quilts: Looking back and moving forward

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use mathematical knowledge and skills developed in the previous lessons to demonstrate understanding and ability to apply that knowledge to create a classroom display. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

More work with shapes

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students explore geometric concepts by modeling on the geoboard. They investigate parallel, perpendicular, and intersecting lines. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Mirroring Kandinsky

Students explore the geometric figures Wassily Kandinsky used in his art. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Visual Arts Education and Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Making a shape jacket

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use an online, interactive activity to analyze characteristics and properties of three-dimensional geometric shapes and develop mathematical arguments about geometric relationships. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

How many triangles can you construct?

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students identify patterns in a geometrical figure, build a foundation for the understanding of fractals, and develop experiments to test hypotheses. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Getting to know the shapes

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students discover the uses of geometry and measurement in the world of architecture as they are introduced to a project in which they design a clubhouse. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Getting to know the shapes

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use an online, interactive activity to analyze characteristics and properties of three-dimensional geometric shapes. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 and 5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Exploring Turns

An activity of creating “paper quilts” allows students to explore the geometric transformation of rotation. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Visual Arts Education and Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Exploring Flips and Slides

Students explore the geometric transformations of reflection and translation. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Visual Arts Education and Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Describing Designs

Students create designs and describe them to classmates using fractional and geometric terms. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Visual Arts Education and Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Describing data

In this lesson, students create glyphs based on the characteristics of their names. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Cylinders and scale

This lesson, from Science NetLinks, teaches students that most things have built-in limits in scale, but that knowing an object's extreme limits of scale can be revealing. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

Creating a two-dimensional blueprint

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students draw two-dimensional blueprints, on graph paper, of clubhouses they have designed. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Constructing a three-dimensional model

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students build a three-dimensional model of a clubhouse from two-dimensional blueprints designed in an earlier lesson. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

Construct a solid

In this lesson, one of a multi-part unit from Illuminations, students use an online, interactive activity to analyze characteristics and properties of three-dimensional geometric shapes. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Mathematics)

Provided by: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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