Bonnie Palmer

9/7/14
PreK-2 Ch. 16 Developing Geometric Reasoning and Concepts
3-5 Ch. 17 Developing Geometric Thinking and Concepts

Van Heile Levels of Geometric Thought

PreRecognition

Level 0:
Visualization

Level 1:
Analysis

Level 2:
Informal
Deduction

Level 3:
Deduction

Level 4:
Rigor

specific and
tactile objects

shapes and what

they look like

classes of shapes
rather than
individual shapes

properties of
shapes

relationships
among
properties of
geometric
objects

deductive
axiomatic
systems for
geometry

shapes and what

they "look like"

classes or
groupings of
shapes that seem
to be "alike"

properties of
shapes

relationships
among
properties of
geometric
objects

deductive
axiomatic
systems for
geometry

comparisons and
contrasts among
different
axiomatic
systems of
geometry

Geometry Content
Shapes and properties

Transformation

Explore how shapes are alike Translations or slides,

and different
reflections or flips, and
rotations or turns
Sort and classify shapes
Composing and decomposing symmetry
Build shapes
Classification of shapes
Definitions and proofs

Location

Visualization

Learning language to
describe an objects relative
position in space
Describing location
Coordinate system

Create and move mental

images of shapes
Thinking about how shapes
look from different
viewpoints
Predicting the results of
various transformations

My SMART Goal
-Build 3-D shapes using plastic coffee stirrers with modeling clay or pipe cleaners, plastic drinking straws with flexible
joins, or rolled newspaper rods
Activities I like
Pre-K-2: Activity 16.1, 16.6, 16.7, 16.9, 16.10, 16.11, 16.13, 16.15, 16.18, 16.19, 16.20, 16.21, 16.24, 16.25
17.10, 17.13, 17.15, 17.18
Technology
NCTM e-Example 4.3
Electronic Geoboards: http://nlvm.usu.edu http://mste.illinois.edu/users/pavel/java/geoboard
The Geometers Sketchpad, GeoGebra, Cabri Geometry II
Synthesis
The broad content focus of geometry includes shapes and properties, transformations, location, and visualization. When
teaching geometry, you must consider learning progressions, and the van Hiele levels of geometric thought describes
levels of understanding that students progress through when learning geometry. There are significant number of ways
to make learning geometry hands-on and engaging.