Exactly look at the device you are reading this article from. Oh, you have just discovered the perfect example of a quadrilateral!
The more you see around, the more you can see quadrilaterals everywhere. Right from the phone, and laptop to books or compass boxes, there are quadrilaterals everywhere. Whether you talk about the new tiffin box or the shape of a brownie, you are certain to be fascinated by the world of quadrilaterals. However, it can be pretty confusing for students to identify them just by any theoretical discussion. Many little learners assume a square to be a quadrilateral but when it comes to the kite shape, they are not sure.
While quadrilaterals are of different shapes, it can be difficult to make the learners comprehend the concept. So, a well-designed lesson plan can help you in making the subject easy for little learners. The quadrilaterals lesson plan is designed to help educate students about the basic properties and identification of these shapes. With thoughtful analysis and usage of engaging colors, this lesson plan helps you gauge attention from students.
Common challenges with quadrilaterals for little learners
While quadrilaterals look alike, it can be challenging for little learners to identify them and even differentiate between any two. You can only teach the concept perfectly when you are aware of the common problems faced by them. It helps you tackle those areas of improvement and possible queries they might have.
- Identifying and recognizing can be a challenge for students as squares and rectangles both are quadrilaterals yet have different properties and looks.
- Students often get confused with naming quadrilaterals and might goof up between two. They might know the concept yet find it difficult to name the quadrilateral.
- Learning the sides and properties of many quadrilaterals is an overwhelming experience for younglings.
- While students might know what is a square or a rectangle, they might make mistakes when drawing these quadrilaterals. Since there are so many quadrilaterals, putting them on paper often gets tough.
Practice makes it easy for learners to identify quadrilaterals and even understand their basic presence in math. So, here is the lesson plan that focuses on imparting knowledge while not making it too overwhelming for the very first learning phase of quadrilaterals.
Lesson plan
This lesson plan is thoughtfully designed to offer a fun yet structured learning experience. Considering the need to develop mathematical abilities, this lesson plan helps you start with the basics.
The following are the main objectives of the quadrilateral lesson plan.
- The lesson plan aims to make students aware of the presence of quadrilaterals.
- It further aims to help students identify quadrilaterals with ease.
The lesson plan begins by creatively introducing the topic to children. It has various shapes which have something similar in them. To create intrigue, ask students the names of these shapes and further ask about the similarities. It also acts as an icebreaker where students start observing and discussing it. The lesson plan then introduces the topic by giving students an opportunity to uncover it through their observations.
The lesson plan further explains the meaning of quadrilaterals along with a helpful example. The usage of images helps students understand it better. You can engage them in drawing different shapes to delve deeper into learning.
Moving further, the lesson plan includes different types of quadrilaterals along with their names well mentioned in a table format. Each quadrilateral’s unique property is mentioned alongside their picture and name making it easy to teach the differences. Take it slow and explain the distinctive properties to help students differentiate between many.
Activity 1: Circle the Quadrilaterals
The lesson plan now includes an interesting activity for little learners. Many shapes are given and students need to circle the shapes that are quadrilaterals. Such activity develops visual discrimination skills and also emphasizes the learning of properties.
Activity 2: Who am I?
This brain-teasing activity is one where students are given a shape and a riddle. They need to see the shape, read the riddle, and name the quadrilateral that satisfies both of them.
The lesson plan is elaborately designed to offer a step-by-step guide for teaching quadrilaterals. It starts slow, covers the essence of the topic, introduces mathematical properties, and ensures fun learning. With high-end pictures and vibrant colors, the lesson plan aims to gauge the attention of little learners.
Other ways to teach quadrilaterals
While lesson plans help enhance the academic learning journey, it is equally important to offer different learning methods. Since the topic of quadrilaterals is vast, the below-mentioned ways act as an empowering tool for cultivating a fun learning environment.
1. Games
Games create a challenging environment as students get into a competitive learning mode. With interesting games for quadrilaterals, you can teach students in a creative way. Games also help give instructions multiple times in case students do not understand the context initially.
2. Real Life Examples
Quadrilaterals are all around us and we might miss noticing them. Students can better connect with the topic when they are given practical learning opportunities. Real-life examples are a helpful way to engage students in understanding the concept. It helps them decode quadrilaterals by recognizing shapes and their properties in the real world.
3. Manipulatives
When little learners get an opportunity to learn through manipulatives, they are more likely to understand the properties in a practical sense. It also gives them a perfect idea of how quadrilaterals look in real life along with the differences in their shape and sides. Manipulatives for quadrilaterals allow students to have a strong grip on their knowledge, understand shapes, and identify them easily.
4. Activities
Classroom activities are again an important part of teaching methodology allowing teachers to be creative. Quadrilateral activities offer learning about shapes and their properties in a less challenging environment. Activities allow students to raise doubts, solve queries, and even work in a collaborative environment.
5. Asking Questions
Questioning little learners goes a long way in helping them retain their memory about quadrilaterals. As parents or teachers, ask them simple yet mathematical questions about quadrilaterals. For example, if you see a box of cookies, ask them if that is a triangle or a quadrilateral. Make sure to randomly initiate such conversations to make them look natural.
Wrapping up
As students learn about quadrilaterals, this lesson plan ensures a smooth flow of information in a structured format. It is significant to take it easy and slow for young minds to ensure the proper application of knowledge. The quadrilateral lesson plan is specifically designed to impart knowledge and create a comprehensive learning framework for students. It targets the essentials of the subject matter and helps you innovatively introduce the concept to younglings.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,