• Identify, compare, and analyze attributes of two-and three-dimensional shapes and develop vocabulary to describe the attributes.
• Classify two- and three- dimensional shapes according to their properties and develop definitions of classes of shapes such as triangles and pyramids.
• Explore congruence and similarity.
• Make and test conjectures about geometric properties and relationships and develop logical arguments to justify conclusions.
  

Students will:

1. Demonstrate geometry through physical movement.
2. Demonstrate geometry through the physical game of sports.
3. Investigate and explore manipulating various geometric shapes.

Directions

Part I: Geometry and Yoga

Although yoga is not considered a game or sport, it is a helpful method for keeping kids active and flexible. There are a few yoga deck cards geared for classroom use, and many of the moves demonstrate geometric shapes and angles. The Kids' Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Games by Annie Buckley is a kit I prefer because it uses unisex stick figures for demonstrating yoga moves and it is very inexpensive. You can find this under the booklist, as well as another book by Tara Guber.

Step 1: Using yoga deck cards, lead students through a quick warm-up of yoga moves. 

Step 2: Go back through the deck cards and show students one of the moves done together.  Have students turn to a partner to discuss what geometric shape or angle is being demonstrated.

Step 3: Continue to use the deck cards to ask students for geometric angles and shapes. Use the cards to assess what students know.

Step 4: Hand part of your cards to the physical education teacher. On the back you can write the geometry terminology you used in class to describe the movements. Ask the teacher to support your unit of study by completing the yoga moves during physical education time.

Continue this throughout the year.  You can use the yoga moves when there is a rainy day, when you need a break, or if you simply need a geometry review session.

Part II: Let's Play Some Games

Step 1: Begin with a review of the game of "Geo Says." To play this game, you will need to show a visual representation of the various geometry terms learned in class. For example, a ray can be demonstrated with one arm out, fingers spread open. We use Simon Says principles to show the following: acute angle, right angle, obtuse angle, line segment, point, ray, rotation, translation, reflection, parallel, intersecting, and perpendicular lines. Continue until you declare the geometry winner.

Step 2: Use this activity to start a conversation on how geometry is the basis for many sports and games students are familiar with.  A few examples include basketball, football, pool, and checkers. Master pool players, for example, heavily depend on their knowledge of geometry and math to complete complicated moves. Basketball moves such as a bounce pass demonstrates the ability to throw a ball with a specific obtuse angle (think of bouncing it under another player's leg) to take opposing players by surprise.

Step 3: After completing a discussion on geometry in sports, pass out the geometry sports example sheet (PDF).  Have students record the geometry shapes and angles associated with the fundamentals of each game (e.g. rectangular field, semi-circle, etc.).

Step 4: Take learning outdoors and use your allotted recess time to guide students through a class directed game.  Ask students to brainstorm how geometry knowledge can benefit them in the game. For an example, students can learn how rotations (pivots) and specific angle shots help players play basketball more successfully.

Optional: We used a geometry puzzle (PDF) to practice manipulating geometric shapes. I found this activity in Arthur Hyde's Comprehending Math and directions are included in the attachment. Consider following this with an extra credit opportunity to create geometry inspired games by individual students. It could be a board game or a physical game with written directions.

BOOKLIST
Introduction: As teachers, we don't have much free time in our classroom. Here are some books that help us work smarter, not harder. They combine the mathematical concepts under geometry into a read-aloud for your class.

Total Books: 12

The Kids' Yoga Deck: 50 Poses and Games by Annie Buckley
Book Descriptions: A set of 50 poses on sturdy stock paper. The figures are unisex figures.
Classroom Tips: You can use these cards for assessing geometry shapes and angles.

Yoga Pretzels: 50 Fun Yoga Activities For Kids & Grownups (Yoga Cards) (Cards) by Tara Guber
Book Descriptions: Another set of 50 poses. The difference between Annie Buckley’s book and this one are larger deck cards and photographs of children demonstrating the positions.
Classroom Tips: Give a set to your physical education teacher and ask them to use geometry terminology when using it for warm-up.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
Book Descriptions: Eratosthenes became the chief librarian at the renowned Alexandria Library. His best-known discovery was to determine the circumference of Earth using simple geometry and shadows cast by the sun at noon on June 21. The book includes an addendum that gives a summary of important discoveries throughout time, many of which use Eratosthenes' work as their basis.
Classroom Tips: Integrate this into your reading workshop block.

Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tompert
Book Descriptions: Grandfather Tang tells a story about fox fairies from Chinese folklore who use geometry and magical powers to alternately change into predator and prey in a shape changing game. As he tells the story, he makes the animal shapes with tangrams. The illustrations have an oriental brushwork appearance and include both the animal and the tangram representation of the animal so students can create the changes with their tangram sets.
Classroom Tips: Can be paired up with The Warlord's Puzzle by Virginia Pilegard

The Warlord's Puzzle by Virginia Pilegard
Book Descriptions: In ancient China, an artist hopes to avoid punishment for breaking a beautiful blue tile into seven piece by suggesting that the Chinese warlord hold a contest to see if anyone can put it back together. A poor fisherman's boy quietly plays with the geometric shapes and solves the tangram puzzle. A tangram template is provided making this useful in introducing geometric concepts.
Classroom Tips: Can be paired up with Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tompert.

A Cloak for the Dreamer by Aileen Friedman
Book Descriptions: A tailor asks his three sons to make colorful cloaks from small pieces of cloth sewn together. The older sons use square and triangular pieces and make fine cloaks. But the youngest son chooses circles and his cloak will not keep out the wind. The father uses geometry to solve the problem cleverly. This story fits with a unit on tessellations or a unit on shapes within shapes.

Eight Hands Round: A Patchwork Alphabet by Ann Whitford Paul
Book Descriptions: Each letter of the alphabet is presented with a traditional quilt pattern and a brief history of the design. The full-color illustrations provide a great springboard for exploring the shapes and their geometric properties such as congruence, similarity, and symmetry.

Fraction Action by Loreen Leedy
Book Descriptions: Miss Prime and her students explore fractions by finding many examples in the world around them. In the process they divide geometric shapes into fractions, divide sets of objects into equal parts, cut fruit into equal shares, and divide a dollar into fractions. The bright illustrations help to clarify the concepts.

Shape Up! Fun with Triangles and Other Polygons by David Adler
Book Descriptions: Various polygons including triangles, quadrilaterals, rhombuses, and dodecagons are introduced and illustrated by comparing them to common foods such as pretzels, slices of cheese, and bread. It can serve as a hands-on guide to constructing patterns. Bright cartoonlike illustrations highlight the text.
Classroom Tips: Integrate this into your reading workshop block.

Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi: A Math Adventure by Cindy Neuschwander
Book Descriptions: Sir Cumference's son, Prince Radius, is sent on a quest to find his grandfather who has been turned into a dragon. The prince uses the magical number of pi to restore the man to his regular shape. Mathematical terms and concepts are used to tell the story. See other books in this series.
Classroom Tips: Integrate this into your reading workshop block.

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander
Book Descriptions: In Camelot, Sir Cumference and Lady Di design the perfect round table with the assistance of carpenters and geometric solutions. This is a humorous look at the Middle Ages replete with mathematical puns and factual relationships among diameter, circumference, and pi. See other books in this series.
Classroom Tips: Integrate this into your reading workshop block.

Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland by Cindy Neuschwander
Book Descriptions: Prince Radius is on a quest to earn his knighthood and must rescue a lost king. His parents give him a circular medallion that helps him to measure and examine every angle as he finds his way through a maze. He is able to complete his quest thanks to geometry. See other books in this series.
Classroom Tips: Integrate this into your reading workshop block.

Supporting All Learners

Learning geometry through a real-world application will aid most of your students in understanding the importance of geometry in their world. By providing a variety of ways to teach and incorporate geometry, you will reach every student in your classroom. This may be through song, dance, movement, pen and paper, or visual demonstrations.  

Correlating Standards:

• Identify, compare, and analyze attributes of two-and three-dimensional shapes and develop vocabulary to describe the attributes.
• Classify two- and three- dimensional shapes according to their properties and develop definitions of classes of shapes such as triangles and pyramids.
• Explore congruence and similarity.
• Make and test conjectures about geometric properties and relationships and develop logical arguments to justify conclusions.

Lesson Extensions

• Allow students to create their own geometry games, through a physical or board game.
• Utilize Disney's Teaching Geometry and Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959). This can be found through a search engine and is currently posted on youtube.com. I was completely fascinated with the three part series and thought the application to the natural world and sports was well done.
• Visit sites like Scholastic's Study Jams as well as teachertube.com. I found a hilarious song on quadrilaterals and my students love the karaoke songs on Study Jams.
• Using origami, reinforce geometric concepts through hands-on work.

Home Connection

Invite parents to lead an active lifestyle through yoga, exercising, and playing games at home. Provide resources to help educate the geometry concepts taught in class.

Assignments

• Students turn in their geometry sports sheet.
• Students will create notes in their math journal.

Evaluation

• Are students actively engaged through discussion and movement? If not, could it be a result of their learning style?
• Are students able to apply the activities to paper and pencil activities?