First published online 30.03.

09

Teachers Notes

Circle, Square or Triangle?

Type of School: kindergarten

3. Distribute the worksheets. Ask the pupils to

look at the shapes and put the items in three
groups according to the shape. Their task is
to circle all the squares together and so on.
To make sure that they know what to do, you
can demonstrate a similar activity on the
board and say: Circle! While the pupils are
completing the activity, monitor their work.
Once they have finished, say: How many
circles / triangles / squares? Get the children
to count the items in each group. Check with
the whole class by choral counting the shapes
one by one.

Type of activity: whole class, group work

Focus: circle, square, triangle, basic colours,
numbers (16) receptive: How many?
Level/age group: 4/6-year-olds, no reading or
writing skills required
Time: 20 minutes
Preparation:
1. Photocopy the Circle, Square or Triangle?
worksheet one per pupil
2. Children will need colour pencils or crayons,
an additional sheet of paper and a pair of
scissors
3. Optionally: prepare flashcards or cut-outs
of a circle, a square and a triangle. To
demonstrate colours you can use colour pens
or flashcards as well.
Procedure:
1. Ask the children how we describe objects.
Elicit such features as size, colour, shape,
pattern, etc. Accept answers in Polish. Tell
the children that they are going to learn
shapes in English. At this stage you can review
counting in English from 1 to 6 with a simple
chant or clapping hands.
2. If you have prepared the flashcards of shapes,
you may use them now (if you havent, refer
to the pictures on the worksheet). Point to
the pictures one by one saying: circle, square,
triangle, and ask for choral repetition. If the
children already know the words, you can
ask: Whats this? with each picture but still
say each word again and ask for repetition. To
check if the words have been memorized,
hold the square up and say: This is a circle!
The children should say No! continue: This is
a triangle! Again children should say No!
continue: This is a square! And children should
say Yes! Repeat the procedure with the other
pictures as well.

Macmillan Polska 2009

by Ania Roszkowska

4. Ask the pupils to get four crayons ready (e.g.

red, blue, green, yellow), work individually
and colour the shapes differently. (It might
be necessary to review the colours before this
activity. Say: show me a red / green / blue /
yellow crayon!) The idea is to have the same
shapes in a different colour (e.g. circles:
2 green, 1 yellow, 2 blue) and different shapes
in the same colour (e.g. green: 2 circles,
1 triangle, 3 squares).
5. Tell the class that you are going to check who
has what shapes in what colours. For instance
you say: two green squares! And the pupil
who has two squares coloured green should
raise their hand. Make sure the instruction
has been understood. If so, start the game.
NOTE: allow sufficient time for the pupils to
count the items. If necessary, repeat the target
phrase a few times!
Extension / Follow-up:
Put the children in groups of three or four and
ask them to draw (on a separate sheet of paper)
a square, a circle and a triangle big enough to
cut out. Tell the class to colour the shapes with
a different crayon and cut them out. The pupils
put the shapes on the table and, in turns, point
to one and say: red square! If they are right they
can collect the shape. The pupil with the biggest
number of shapes is the winner. You can play the
game as many times as you and the children
wish.

PHOTOCOPIABLE