Math Lesson 7.

4: Circles and Triangles

Teacher: Miss Amanda Holder

Grade: Full-Day Kindergarten

Content Area: Mathematics

Content and Standards:

• Standard – CC.2.3.K.A.1: Identify and describe two- and three-dimensional

shapes.

• Standard – CC.2.3.K.A.2: Analyze, compare, create, and compose two- and

three-dimensional shapes.

Prerequisites:

• The students should be able to identify and create the four basic shapes

(rectangle, circle, triangle, and square).

Essential Questions:

• Can I identify and name flat shapes?

• What makes a shape a triangle?

Materials and Equipment:

• Math 7.4 SmartBoard Presentation (Appendix I)

• Projector/Speaker/SmartBoard

• Lesson 7.4 Flat Shapes: Triangles Sorting Boards (one per student)

(Appendix II)

• Triangle Sort Baggies (one per student) (Appendix III)

• 2D vs. 3D Chart Paper and Shape Pieces (Appendix IV)

Instructional Objective:

• Students will know how to identify a triangle and be able to explain what

makes the shape a triangle.

Instructional Procedures:

Before:

• Students will do body counting in a circle as a whole group (20 jumping jacks,

20 toe touches, etc).

• Students will answer a warm-up word problem on the SmartBoard (5 cookies

and 5 cakes, how many in all?). The students will use a ten-frame visual to

understand two numbers that add to 10.

• Review the teen number 13 with the students on SmartBoard (ten frame,

number identification, number writing).

• Students will take turns coming to the SmartBoard in pairs to answer teen ten

frame fluency questions. (Writing the number that corresponds to the teen ten

frame)

• Students will review the 3D shapes with The Singing Walrus song on 3D

Shapes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guNdJ5MtX1A).

Mini-Lesson

• Students will review two of the flat shapes; triangle and circle. Students will

compare and contrast the circle and triangle (SmartBoard).

• Students will examine a triangle, and analyze what makes a shape a triangle

(3 points, 3 sides, straight sides).

 • With the Math Talk #22 on the SmartBoard, students will decide whether or

not the shapes are triangles (use thumbs up or thumbs down TPT).

Independent Practice

• Each student will receive a baggie of shapes and a triangle sorting board.

• Share directions of activity and model for the students how to sort the shapes

on the board.

• Students will independently sort their triangles (triangles and non-triangles).

• When students are finished sorting, they will raise their hand for their sorting

to be assessed. (Differentiate where appropriate. Check for student

understanding and clarify misconceptions.)

Closure

• As a closure, students will start a 2D (Flat Shapes) and 3D (Solid Shapes)

Chart as a class to compare flat and solid shapes.

• The students will decide where the circle and triangle belong on the chart and

Think, Pair, Share why the shapes belong in the 2D side of the chart.

Assessment:

• When students are completing the independent triangle sort, they will be

informally assessed on if they are able to identify and sort triangles from non-

triangles and explain why the shape is considered a triangle.

Differentiated Instruction:

• Students who need additional help with the concept will receive one-on-one

help to clarify misconceptions or answer questions. These students may also

be given additional manipulatives to help with their understanding of triangles.

• Students who need a challenge during the activity will be asked higher-order

thinking questions such as “What if this triangle had a curvy side? Why can’t

this shape be a triangle?”. These students will also be challenged to check a

partner’s work that is also done

Appendix I: SmartBoard Presentation
Appendix II: Triangle Sorting Board
Appendix III: Triangle Sorting Pieces for Baggies
Appendix IV: 2D vs. 3D Shapes Chart
 Reflection:

This mathematics lesson, a lesson in Unit 7: Shapes, was planned for

kindergarten students and the learning goal for the lesson was “Students will know how

to identify a triangle and be able to explain what makes a shape a triangle”. The

students began the lesson by reviewing counting, teen numbers, and the 3D shapes.

For the mini-lesson, students explored triangles and what makes a shape a triangle.

The students were assessed on the learning objective by sorting shapes into triangle

and non-triangle categories and explaining why they placed the shapes in the specific

categories. The lesson was concluded by creating a 2D vs. 3D Shapes Chart as a class

and placing the triangle and circle on the chart. The students used Think, Pair, Share to

explain why the triangle and circle belong on the 2D shape side of the comparison

chart.

Overall the lesson was very effective and the students were able to meet the

learning goal. Below are pictures of students’ independent work sorting shapes into

triangles and non-triangles based on what they learned about identifying shapes as

triangles.
Most of the students were able to correctly separate the shape cards, however, when

separating the solid shapes, some students were struggling to remember that the

triangle is a 2D shape and not a 3D shape, therefore the colored shapes could not be

considered a triangle. But, as I went around to check the student’s work, I helped

correct and clarify any mistakes the students had and I asked higher-order thinking

questions to the students that were able to correctly separate the shapes to challenge

them. The students were very engaged and seemed to enjoy the lesson as a whole.

This lesson is part of my goal to add more manipulatives to supplement my

instruction. My mentor teacher explained the importance of hands-on activities for

children at the kindergarten age, so for this unit in math, I decided to really focus on the

use of manipulatives and hands-on explorations to teach the shapes. By giving the

students visuals and shapes to physically hold, they are able to grasp the idea of flat

and solid shapes in a much more thorough way. The triangle sort allowed the students

to individually manipulate and sort shapes based on what they learned about triangles.

When reflecting using Domain 1 of Danielson’s Framework, I looked for how well

I planned and prepared the lesson. The lesson was based on a state standard for

kindergarten, which is identifying and composing 2D and 3D shapes, and included

developmentally appropriate activities for the age group and demographics of the

classroom. The instructional outcome aligned with the standards and the assessment of

the lesson, so that I could accurately assess whether the students grasped the concept.

I used my knowledge of resources for the use of manipulatives and other materials to

supplement the lesson. The lesson design was coherent and followed a smooth path to

the conclusion of the lesson.

 When reflecting using Domain 2, I focused on the classroom environment and

the culture of student learning. The students were very engaged and interested in the

lesson because of the use of songs and manipulatives. The students showed

confidence in their work, but they were also not afraid to ask me questions. The

students are very comfortable with having discussions with me about different topics in

the classroom, and it continued throughout this lesson. Positive reinforcement and

praise was used throughout the lesson to redirect student behaviors and support

student accomplishments. The materials and resources were organized in a manner

that they were easy for student access and clean up, making for a seamless transition

into the next lesson.

When reflecting using Domain 3, I analyzed my instruction for the lesson. In the

lesson plan above, specific parts of Domain 3 are highlighted and labeled on the lesson.

I ensured that all students understood the expectations and directions for all activities in

the lesson. I took time to model and explain the directions for the sorting activity so that

students understood and could visually see how the activity should go. Throughout the

lesson, the students were asked “why” several times when identifying the triangles and

non-triangles, which supported higher-level questioning and discussion amongst the

students.

When reflecting using Domain 4, I evaluated my professional responsibilities in

the classroom. By reflecting upon this lesson and analyzing my instruction and student

outcomes, I reflected on my teaching to improve my future teaching, which is an

important professional responsibility as a teacher.

 After reflecting on this lesson, I made two goals for my future instruction. While

planning and preparing for the lesson, in the future, I want to make sure I have enough

resources and materials for all students to have the same resources. I had to give some

students different shapes in the sorting activity because I did not have enough solid

shapes. The other goal I have is to be more cautious of my time while teaching. I want

to make sure I’m not only utilizing all of my instruction time, but I also want to make sure

I am not going over my allotted time for instruction so that I have appropriate time for

other lessons.