Can you notice at least five shapes or patterns in your immediate surroundings? We believe you can, and that too, very easily. After all, we are surrounded by various shapes and patterns that form the basis of our surroundings. From the device you are reading this article to the room you are probably sitting in, shapes and patterns are everywhere.
Teaching the shapes and patterns to the students requires systematic planning to deliver the lesson efficiently. With the help of our shapes and pattern lesson plan, you can plan your lecture effectively and execute it innovatively. The lesson plan is all about creativity and engaging activities. Keep reading to get the full details of the comprehensive lesson plan on shapes and patterns.
Before moving to the lesson plan, let’s see what are some challenges children might encounter while studying shapes and patterns.
Let’s begin!
Shapes and patterns: Challenges faced by students to understand the topic
Shapes and patterns surround us and form the basis of our life. But at times it could be a challenge for students to fully grasp the concept and understand its practical applications. Some challenges that students may face while studying shapes and patterns in elementary grade are-
1. Visualization of shapes
Shapes are fundamental to us but identifying them in real life can be a challenge since visualization of shapes is a bit tricky at the initial stages of learning. For instance, a square has four sides, but how to arrange those four sides to obtain a square?
Considering the property of a square, that every angle forms a 90-degree angle, it leads to a question: what is the difference between a square and a rectangle? How to differentiate both in real life? Is it the difference in alignment of four sides or any other property difference?
2. Spatial arrangement
Shapes and patterns are not limited to basic figures with concrete properties. Rather, it involves the manipulation of those basic shapes to obtain desired 2D or 3D figures. Sometimes, it becomes challenging to identify and manipulate those basic shapes when they are represented in three-dimensional drawings or objects.
3. Lack of concrete properties
Shapes and patterns in real-life are anything but concrete concepts. Shapes may have fixed properties and angles, though, in real life, it requires abstract thinking to understand and apply these shapes. Also, shapes are interrelated and it requires abstract as well as logical reasoning to solve the problems related to shapes and patterns.
4. Similar shapes and patterns
What is the difference between a square and a rectangle? Both have four sides, both form 90-degree angles, and both are closed figures. So, what is it that differentiates one from another?
There are various shapes that have identical or overlapping properties of other shapes, but they are not the same. Identifying and understanding what sets one shape apart from another could be a challenge for students.
5. Mathematical terminology
Another common challenge that children might face while understanding shapes and figures is the terminology of shapes and patterns. Name of the shapes, different properties, symbols used to denote properties, and formulas associated with shapes could be a challenge, resulting in less understanding of the shapes in general.
6. Communicating the concepts of shapes
Another aspect that can influence the complete understanding of shapes and patterns is the inability to effectively communicate the properties of shapes. There are multiple properties that must be considered before accepting a figure as a specific shape. Even after a concrete idea of a shape, effectively communicating its properties to reach a conclusion can be challenging.
Decoding the shapes and pattern lesson plan
Considering the above challenges, the elementary grade shape and lesson plan was designed to help educators effectively deliver the lesson. The lesson plan will also guide students for a better understanding.
The lesson plan is designed for elementary-grade students to introduce them to the basic concept of shapes and patterns ensuring a strong foundation for the future advanced concepts of geometry. The lesson plan will help the students identify different shapes, understand the properties of them, and how to complete the different patterns of the shape.
The lesson plan aims to fulfill the following objectives-
- Identifying and drawing different shapes like squares, triangles, rectangles, cylinders, and circles.
- It will help the children state the properties of these shapes.
- Children will be able to complete the patterns made from these shapes.
The material required for the implementation of the lesson plan are-
- Chalk
- Shape cut-outs
- Geoboard
The lesson plan begins with an engaging ice-breaker story about the shapes that will help the educators increase and captivate the students’ interest in the class and provide something for the students to brainstorm on. Further, the lesson plan provides an in-depth explanation of introducing different shapes and their properties to the student for effective learning.
The lesson plan further involves three shape learning activities that will help strengthen the understanding of the concept and help educators assess the students’ learning. The activity involves-
Activity 1: Shape Hunt
The activity involves children identifying different shapes in their surroundings and noting them in a notebook. Later, they can share their list with their partners.
Activity 2: Can you count all the shapes
The activity involves a sheet with certain geometric figures drawn on it. Children have to identify different shapes in it and report in the columns provided.
Activity 3: Completing the Patterns
The activity involves a series of different patterns. The students are supposed to complete the series by identifying which shape in the pattern will come next.
How do shapes and pattern lesson plans make teaching successful?
A well-planned lesson plan makes the concept easier to understand and improves the retention level of the concepts taught. With the same aim, we have designed the lesson plan for educators. It is helpful in multiple ways, such as-
1. Introducing the concept gradually
Basic shapes and patterns are easy to understand, but as their complexity increases, it becomes a little challenging. The lesson plan will ensure that the shapes and their properties are gradually introduced for better understanding and will also assess the student’s understanding of the lesson at each level. Understanding can further be reinforced through online shape-learning games or the shapes flashcards.
2. Increase student engagement
The biggest challenge of teaching novel concepts to students is the rapid decline of their interest in the concept if the material taught is hard to understand. The lesson plan will ensure that the material is delivered in the smoothest way possible to enhance students’ engagement in the classroom. Educators can further use shape manipulatives to enhance understanding.
3. Concrete learning
The lesson plan will give the student a concrete idea of different shapes and patterns in theoretical aspects (completing the series) and practical aspects (shape hunt).
Wrapping up
Lesson plans help to make the classes interactive and engaging. With pre-planned lessons, educators can easily focus on a student’s needs, activity, and level of understanding without bothering about what to teach next. Our lesson plan will also ensure that the time of both educators and students is utilized effectively and will ensure high engagement in different activities crucial for understanding the concepts.
I am Sehjal Goel, a psychology student, and a writer. I am currently pursuing my Masters’s from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Child psychology has always fascinated me and I have a deep interest in learning about disabilities in children and spreading awareness regarding the same. My other areas of interest are neuropsychology and cognitive psychology. Connect me on Linkedin