Shape Classifications Learning Strategies
What should students be able to do within this interactive?
Select one of the shapes provided and explore the properties of its sides, angles and/or lines of symmetry. Recognize shapes are named representing their angles, sides or both. Recognize a right triangle must contain an angle of 90 and may or may not have equal sides. Recognize an equilateral triangle always has 3 equal sides and 3 equal angles. Recognize a quadrilateral is a 4 sided figure. Recognize a square always has 4 equal sides and 4 equal angles. Recognize a rectangle always has 4 right angles with equal and parallel opposite sides. Recognize a trapezoid always has only 1 pair of parallel sides. Recognize a rhombus always has 4 equal sides and parallel opposite sides. Recognize a kite has 2 pairs of adjacent equal sides. Recognize a parallelogram always has opposite sides that are equal and parallel. Understand any shape with the name “regular” is where all sides and all angles are equal. Recognize a regular pentagon has 5 equal sides and 5 equal angles. Recognize a regular hexagon has 6 equal sides and 6 equal angles. Recognize a regular octagon has 8 equal sides and 8 equal angles. Understand that a line of symmetry represents where the shape can be folded into 2 identical parts. Understand a shape may have more than one line of symmetry. Recognize that different shapes can have common properties. Understand a Venn diagram is useful for identifying the properties that shapes have in common.
Common mistakes made by students:
Not recognizing the connection between the shape and its name. Not recognizing a shape can have more than one property. Not recognizing one shape may have the properties of another. Not recognizing when sides or angles are equal. Not recognizing when sides are parallel. Not understanding what a line of symmetry is. Not understanding what a Venn diagram is. Not understanding how a Venn diagram can be useful in identifying the common properties of shapes.
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Shape and Space / Shape Classification / Object Interactive / Learning Strategies Curriculum Connections:
Please note all of the following correlations match outcomes in the new Mathematics Kindergarten to Grade 9 Program of Studies (2007).
Grade 5 Shape and Space SO7: Identify and sort quadrilaterals, including: rectangles squares trapezoids parallelograms rhombuses according to their attributes.
Grade 6 Shape and Space SO4: Construct and compare triangles, including: scalene isosceles equilateral right obtuse acute in different orientations.
Grade 6 Shape and Space SO5: Describe and compare the sides and angles of regular and irregular polygons.
Print Activity notes: *Note: The Print Activity is not intended to be an assessment piece
It is necessary for students to use the “Explore It” mode to work through the Print Activity. Students will be asked to identify and explore the properties of triangles, quadrilaterals and regular polygons. Using a Venn diagram, they will recognize and understand the properties that these shapes have in common.
The Print Activity may be opened in Word Format instead of PDF so that changes to questions can be made.
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Shape and Space / Shape Classification / Object Interactive / Learning Strategies Shape Classification Print Activity Key
Use the “Explore It” mode and the letters from the shape names chart below when answering the following questions:
SHAPE NAMES Letter Name Letter Name A Right Triangle G Equilateral Triangle B Square H Regular Pentagon C Rectangle I Regular Hexagon D Trapezoid J Regular Octagon E Rhombus K Parallelogram F Kite
1. Use the letters above to match each shape with its name:
__C__ __B__ ___H__ __A__
__D__ __J__ ___E__ ___G__
__I__ __K______F__
2. Answer the following questions using the letters provided above.
Select
QUESTION: Which shapes…
a. are quadrilaterals? ______B, C, D, E, F, K______.
b. have only 3 sides?______A, G______.
c. always have 4 right angles? B, C ______.
d. always have all angles equal?______B, C, G, H, I, J______.
e. always have all sides equal?______B, E, G, H, I, J ______.
f. have more than 4 sides?______H, I, J, ______.
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Shape and Space / Shape Classification / Object Interactive / Learning Strategies 3. Fill in the blanks below. Use the letters from the shape names chart when possible.
Select
a. A __right (A)_____ triangle always contains one 90 angle.
b. A rectangle has __2___ sets of equal sides and ___4____ right angles.
c. A trapezoid has only __1__ pair of parallel sides.
d. A rhombus and a square always have __4__ equal sides.
e. A ____kite (F)______is a quadrilateral that has 2 pairs of equal adjacent sides.
f. An equilateral triangle has 3 equal ___sides____ and 3 equal ___angles_____.
g. A regular _____pentagon (H)______has 5 equal sides and 5 equal angles.
h. A regular hexagon has 3 sets of ____parallel____ lines.
i. A stop sign is an example of a regular ______octagon______. (pentagon/hexagon/octagon)
j. There are ___3__ other quadrilaterals that have the properties of a parallelogram. (2/3/4)
4. Use the diagram to the right to answer the following:
a. This shape is called a ___trapezoid_____.
b. The dotted line on the shape is called the line of ____symmetry______.
c. The line on the diagram represents where the shape can be folded into ___2___ identical parts. (2/3/4)
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Shape and Space / Shape Classification / Object Interactive / Learning Strategies 5. Select
Use the Venn diagram below to answer the following:
a. This is an example of a _____Venn_____ diagram.
b. The shapes inside the circle are all called ____quadrilaterals______.
c. The shapes outside the circle are all called _____polygons______.
d. All shapes inside the circle must have ___4___ sides.
e. All shapes outside the circle do not have ___4___ sides.
6. Select to fill in the blanks for each of the following.
Use the letters from the shape names chart when possible.
a. In the Venn diagram to the right all shapes have ___4__ sides. (3/4/5)
b. The label for all the shapes in the circle to the right should be ___quadrilaterals______. (polygons/quadrilaterals)
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Shape and Space / Shape Classification / Object Interactive / Learning Strategies c. The trapezoid in the Venn diagram below has only 1 set of parallel lines. List the
4 other shapes that have 2 sets of parallel lines: _square (B)_, __rectangle (C)_, _rhombus (E)_, _parallelogram (K)_.
d. Fill in the boxes with the correct shape in the Venn diagram below:
C B E
e. Fill in the boxes with the correct shape in the Venn diagram below:
C F K
7. Use the diagram to the right to answer the following:
a. This shape is called a regular ___pentagon___.
b. This shape has _5_ equal sides, _5_ equal angles and _5_ lines of symmetry.
c. The many different lines of symmetry mean the shape can be folded into ___2__ identical parts. (2/5/10)
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Shape and Space / Shape Classification / Object Interactive / Learning Strategies 8. Fill in the blanks below for the following summary for quadrilaterals:
Quadrilateral
A quadrilateral is a polygon having __4__ sides. (3/4/5)
Trapezoid
A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with one pair of parallel opposite __sides__. (angles/sides)
Parallelogram
A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with 2 sets of sides that are equal and __parallel__.
Rectangle Rhombus
A rectangle has 4 equal __angles__. A rhombus has 4 equal _sides__. (angles/sides) (angles/sides)
Square
A square is a quadrilateral with 4 equal __angles__ and 4 equal __sides___.
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Shape and Space / Shape Classification / Object Interactive / Learning Strategies