Classifying Quadrilaterals

Name of Teacher
Angela Hoang
Candidate

Lesson Overview
Grade Level 4th Grade
Estimated Time Needed 45 minutes
In this lesson, the students will be able to classify quadrilaterals based on the length
of the sides, the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, and the
Lesson Description
presence or absence of angles. The students will observe and analyze the
characteristics of each shape to classify the quadrilaterals.
(6) Geometry and measurement. The student applies mathematical process
standards to analyze geometric attributes in order to develop generalizations about
Content Area Standards their properties. The student is expected to:
(D)classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or
perpendicular lines or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size
Technology Standards N/A
The students will be able to classify quadrilaterals based on if they have parallel or
Objectives
perpendicular lines.

Resources/Materials/Tools
parallel lines, perpendicular lines, right angles, acute angles, obtuse angles, square,
Terms/Vocabulary
rectangle, trapezoid, rhombus, quadrilateral, parallelogram
Technology Resources Hovercam, projector, computer, PowerPoint slides
Focus: pattern blocks of the quadrilaterals, math notebooks, pencils
Content: flowcharts of quadrilaterals, pencils
Other Resources Guided practice: math notebooks, pencils
Independent practice: notebook paper for each group, pencils
Closure: pencils

Lesson Procedures
Describe how each
A step-by-step description of the scope and sequence
stage of the lesson will Cite specifically what
of lesson activities, with estimated time on task noted
be managed, including resources for this
in parentheses for each step. In other words,
role of teacher and activity will be used,
This template is completely describe the flow of the lesson-the content
learners (who is doing and describe in
built on the to be presented, and the strategies to be used. Include
what at each point), detail how they will
actual words you will use and questions you will ask
traditional students. Consider items such as: parts of the lesson
location (e.g., be used.
“Madeline Hunter” classroom, computer Note who will be using
that might be difficult, and how you will know whether
lab, outside), and any the tool and in what
lesson structure. you can go on; how to ensure that students completely
special ways. Note any safety
understand directions before releasing them to work
considerations, such considerations
independently; and what students will do if they finish
as for differentiated needed.
their work early.
instruction.
Good afternoon class! The role of the The students will
teacher is to need their math
Focus/Anticipator If you notice, there’s a little baggy with facilitate a notebooks to
y Set (motivational different shapes on each of your desks. I discussion with the write down the
hook) want for you all to look at each of these students about the things they
shapes and think about some of the things shapes. The observe about
you notice about its lines, angles, and sides. teacher will be the
Classifying Quadrilaterals
I’ll give you all 1 minute to do this. walking around to quadrilaterals’
monitor the lines and angles.
Alright, now I want for you all to turn and talk classroom as the
to your partner about the things you noticed students discuss
about the shapes. what they noticed.
(1 minute)
The students will
Teacher Callback be observing the
shapes and writing
● What did you guys notice about the down
shapes? characteristics
● What kind of lines did the shapes they notice about
have? the shapes. Then
● What kind of angles did the shapes the students will
have? turn and talk to
discuss what they
I love how observant you all were with the noticed and share
shapes! You all were able to notice nice to the class.
details about the shapes.

Can someone read the objective for me?

“I will be able to classify quadrilaterals. I can

correctly classify quadrilaterals based on if it
has parallel or perpendicular lines.”

So today, we are going to be learning about

quadrilaterals!

I know you’re all thinking, “Ugh, shapes. I’m

not a preschooler or kindergartener. Why
would I need to learn shapes?”

The reason that it is important to learn about

shapes and classifying quadrilaterals is
because it helps you with your problem-
solving skills. When you identity and classify
quadrilaterals, you look at the characteristics
and properties of the shapes and put them
into categories. In doing so, you improve your
observation and sorting skills which helps in
not only math, but science, reading, and
writing too!

Learning about these shapes will also help

you in the future when you’re in middle
school/high school and you’re taking
geometry. If you want to be an architect and
design buildings or houses in the future,
Classifying Quadrilaterals
learning about these quadrilaterals will also
be useful.

The teacher has the teacher’s assistant pass

out the flowchart to the students.

Under the Hovercam, the teacher will write

the notes with the students and teach the
students about the different quadrilaterals
and definitions.

A quadrilateral is any four-sided closed figure

with angles that add up to 360 degrees.

A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with

opposite sides that are the same length and
parallel. It can have either 2 acute angles and
2 obtuse angles OR 4 right angles.
The teacher will
need the
A rectangle is a quadrilateral with 2 pairs of The teacher will
Hovercam, the
parallel sides and 4 right angles. introduce the
graphic
students to
organizer, and a
Possible Questions: quadrilaterals and
Content-input pencil to teach
● Does it have 4 sides? (Yes!) present the
(Could include the students
→ Then it is a quadrilateral. definitions of each
content outline, about the types
● Are the opposite sides equal quadrilateral.
presentation, of quadrilaterals.
and parallel? (Yes!) → That
questioning,
means that the rectangle is The students will
modeling, The students will
both a quadrilateral and a be taking notes on
examples) need their math
parallelogram since it has 4 the graphic
notebooks, the
sides and 2 pairs of parallel organizer as the
graphic
lines. teacher discusses
organizer, and a
each shape.
pencil to write
The rhombus is a parallelogram with equal
notes.
sides (all sides the same length). There are
two pairs of parallel sides, 2 acute and 2
obtuse OR 4 right angles.

A square is a rectangle with 4 equal sides

and 4 right angles.

● Can a square be a rhombus? (Yes!

Because the definition of a rhombus
is that it has 4 equal sides and 2
pairs of parallel lines. A rhombus can
have 2 acute & 2 obtuse angles OR
4 right angles.)
● Can a square be a rectangle? (Yes!
Because the definition of a rectangle
Classifying Quadrilaterals
is that it has 2 pairs of parallel lines
and 4 right angles.)

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with only one

pair of parallel sides. Angles will vary.

● Why is the trapezoid by itself? Why

do you guys think the trapezoid is not
a parallelogram?

After the students are done writing notes, the

teacher will have the students glue the
graphic organizer into their math notebook.

The teacher will solve the quadrilateral word

problems with the students. The teacher will
read the question out loud. The teacher will
give the students 30 seconds - 1 minute wait
time for the students to think. The teacher will
ask questions to prompt the students’
thinking and have them explain their
reasoning.
The teacher will
read the questions
Question 1:
to the students
● What is a quadrilateral?
and guide the
● What is a parallelogram?
students through
● Can anyone explain the definition of
solving the
square/rectangle/rhombus/trapezoid?
problems. The
● What kind of lines or angles must The teacher will
teacher will ask
Guided Practice these shapes have to be considered need the
the students
(identify students those shapes? computer,
questions to check
who failed to ● How did you get that answer? Can projector, and
for understanding.
master lesson you explain your reasoning or PowerPoint
objectives.) thought process? slides to teach
The students will
the students.
be listening
Question 2:
attentively to the
Raise your hand if you think Zareesh is right.
teacher and
Raise your hand if you think Aryana is right.
actively
Raise your hand if you think both of them is
participating to
right.
answer the
questions.
For those of you who thinks Zareesh is right,
can you explain why?

The teacher will do this with the students who

do Aryana or choose both students.

Question 3:
Let’s think back to the definition of a square
Classifying Quadrilaterals
and rectangle.
● What properties does the square
need to be considered a square?
● What about the rectangle?
The teacher will explain to the students that a
square is a special kind of rectangle because
all 4 sides have the same length/are equal.

Now, we’re going to be doing a small activity!

I want you guys to get into groups of 3-4
students. (The teacher may decide the
groups or let the students pick.)

I want you all to clear off your desks except

The teacher will
for your pencil.
facilitate the
drawing activity.
The teacher will pass out a piece of paper to
The teacher will
each group.
explain the
instructions to the
For this activity, you guys are going to be
students. The
drawing and labeling quadrilaterals.
teacher will walk
around during the
Each person will draw one quadrilateral and
activity to see
write its name. When I say PASS, the first
which students
person who drew will pass the paper to the
can pinpoint the Each group of
Independent next person. Then that person will draw a
properties of the students will
Practice different quadrilateral and write its name.
quadrilaterals and need a sheet of
(reteaching and Then he or she will pass it onto the next
accurately paper and a
enrichment) person after I say PASS. The activity will
represent the pencil.
keep going on until I say stop. If it gets to
shapes.
your turn and you cannot think of a new
quadrilateral, you can pass on your turn. I will
The students will
give each person about 1 minute to draw and
work in groups of
label the quadrilateral.
3-4 to do the
drawing activity.
Does everyone understand? Does anyone
The students will
have any questions before we start?
draw a
quadrilateral and
Alright, let’s start!
label its name.
As the students are drawing the
quadrilaterals, the teacher will walk around to
check for the students’ understanding to see
if they understand the unique characteristics
of each quadrilateral.

The teacher will discuss what each group The teacher will The teacher will
Closure drew and have them brainstorm what they have a short need enough
might have missed. discussion about copies of the
Classifying Quadrilaterals
what the students post-test to give
In this lesson, we have learned about how to have learned. the students.
classify quadrilaterals by looking at their
characteristics and what type of lines and The students will The students will
angles they have. Let’s go over a few of the answer the only need a
terms we learned. teacher’s pencil and an
questions and eraser to
Can someone tell me the definition of a complete the post- complete the
quadrilateral? test. post-test.

What about a parallelogram?

From what we’ve learned today, how

successful do you think you’ll be with
classifying quadrilaterals?

Give me a thumbs up if you think you

understand the differences between the
quadrilaterals. Give me a sideways thumb if
you think you somewhat understand but still
need a little more help/time. And give me a
thumbs down if you do not understand at all.

Remember how we did the pre-test a few

days ago? Now we’re going to do the post-
test to see how much you guys have
improved! So, I want for all of you to clear off
your desks! The only thing that should be on
your desk is a pencil. The first few people
who QUIETLY finishes clearing off their
desks will get a dojo point! You guys have 30
seconds.

The teacher administers post-test.

Plans for Differentiated Instruction/Accomodations

Special Education Students N/A
English Language Learners N/A
Gifted and Talented N/A
Other: N/A

Potential Challenges/Plan B
The students may have trouble understanding the difference between the quadrilaterals. In the case that the
students have trouble understanding the difference between the quadrilaterals, I would tell the students to refer
to the flowchart to help clarify the students’ misconceptions. By referring to the flowchart, I could help the
students understand that the only quadrilaterals that can be a parallelogram are rhombuses, squares, and
rectangles. The trapezoid is an outlier/does not belong because it only has one pair of parallel lines. The
students can also see the relationships between the quadrilaterals with the flowchart. If needed, I will give the
Classifying Quadrilaterals
students an additional graphic organizer (venn diagram) of the quadrilaterals to better explain the connections
between the shapes and how they are classified.

Assessment
I will use a mixture of formal and informal assessments to check for the students’ understanding.
Throughout the lesson, I will ask the students’ questions to gauge how much they understand about
classifying quadrilaterals to guide my instruction. I will listen to their reasoning and observe their work
during the guided practice and independent practice. I will also address any misconceptions whenever
they occur during the lesson. I will also assess the students formally through the pre-test and post-test.
By administering the pre-test and post-test, I can see how much the students have grown and learned
about classifying quadrilaterals.

Notes and Credits

Credits to Mrs. Fowler and the 4th Grade Math Teachers at Anne Sullivan Elementary! 😊
Flowchart for notes
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Quadrilaterals-Charts-2506107
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Quadrilateral-Flow-Chart-1108090