2D Shapes - Classification, variation, identification, descriptive vocabulary

In response to the children in our classes needing to be able to sort, name and describe 2D shapes with growing confidence, we developed this activity for our teaching.

In short, it provides the teacher with a range of PowerPoint slides to work with the children on a daily basis, then weekly to embed their learning, of all things 2D. The presentation consists of a variety of features:

• Quadrilateral poster
• Triangle poster
• Slides of a range of 2D shapes (triangles, quadrilaterals, hexagons, octagons etc) for children to identify using key mathematical shape vocabulary.
• Each slide includes the key discussion points - Name the shape, and, What features does it have?
• Slides to find the "odd one out" by looking at similarities and differences
• "Guess the shape" challenge. Using the clues given, can the children identify the 2D shape being described.

On each slide, the children are encouraged to discuss:

• angle types and sides
• length of sides
• parallel lines
• tessellation
• perpendicular lines
• lines of symmetry and orders of rotation

All of these slides can be edited and moved around. Therefore, when the children have learnt the properties of the shapes, the shapes can be changed, certain clues can be removed, the colours of the shapes can be changed to stop the children associating colour with the shape (we noticed this was happening with some of our children!)

As an extension, we also printed these off to become workstation cards - where children would test each other on the features they could identify from each shape. Not only that, but we sent home a smaller, printed set of these slides for the children to teach their parents all about the shapes we were looking at in school.

As the children become more confident in their use of shape language, the language prompts can also be removed from the slides.

We used this activity everyday for one week. We then used the activity once a week for ten minutes for the next semester to embed the learning. The children are now confident in their knowledge of 2D shape properties, in particular, quadrilaterals and triangles. The great thing about this activity is that it can be used across the school in a range of different grades.

Our children loved this activity - and can now talk confidently about these shapes using a wide range of shape vocabulary and knowledge. We hope that your children enjoy this activity and learn just as much.

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Best wishes

INSPIReducation