STEM 433/533 Lesson Planning Template

Name: Christina Lacuesta Grade: Grade 3 Topic: Subdividing and Combining Polygons
Time Allotment: 1 day (90 minutes/ day)
Brief Lesson Description:

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the concept of how shapes can be broken into smaller shapes and how smaller shapes
can be combined to create larger shapes. This lesson uses a storybook to emphasize the importance of this geometric concept to real life.
Following this lesson, students should be confident in decomposing and composing shapes through the included “What’s it’s worth” activity
and the direct instruction guided activity.

Specific Learning Outcomes:

● Students will create new shapes by adding more than one polygon together.
● Students will divide shapes into parts and classify them as polygons
● Students will be able to construct polygons by hand
● Students will subdivide and combine polygons using math manipulatives such as geoboards, tangram puzzles, or geometric
shapes

How did this lesson develop as a result of your examination of research and data about employing culturally sustaining pedagogical
strategies? (Think equal opportunity, student interests, race, gender, disabilities etc.)

This math lesson is for 3rd students. Students in third grade can have difficulty understanding concepts that are explained with academic
language. In this lesson, the new and old concepts are presented using student vocabulary. The use of this culturally responsive language
engages students and creates discussion .This lesson includes meaningful discourse amongst students that allows them to use their own
language and experiences during their learning process. Students get the opportunity to engage one another, by asking questions about
one another’s pictures, as well as share their experiences and interactions with polygons in their real life.

Narrative / Background Information

Prior Student Knowledge:

Prior to this lesson, students need to be familiar with the defining characteristics of a polygon. Students also need to be able to identify and
name types of polygons with 10 or fewer sides. Review the following terms with students:

● triangle, decagon, heptagon , hexagon, nonagon, octagon, pentagon,rectangle

● combine
● parallel
● parallelogram
● vertices
● pentagon
● plane figure
● polygon
● quadrilateral
● rhombus
● square
● subdivide
● trapezoid

Math VA SOL: VisualArts VA SOL: NCTM Standard:

3.12 The student will
c.) combine and subdivide polygons
with three or four sides and name the
resulting polygon (s).
3. 8 The student will use organic and Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and
geometric shapes in observational three- dimensional geometric shapes and develop
drawing. mathematical arguments about geometric
relationships.
Specific Problem Solving Strategy being used:

For this lesson. students will be using paper geometric shapes (tangram pieces) to support their learning of decomposing and composing
shapes. Using the CRA (Concrete, Representational, Abstract), students will begin with manipulating the tangram pieces, then drawing their
shapes, and finally being able to think abstractly about the concept.

Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:

Being able to identify a shape but not understanding what makes it a polygon.

LESSON PLAN – 5-E Model

ENGAGE:
Day 1:

The teacher begins a discussion with the students by asking them, “What do we know about polygons?”Using student language, the teacher
will write the answers on the board. This discussion is meant to activate prior knowledge of polygons and clear up any misconceptions
students may have.

Following the discussion, the teacher will read the children’s story The Greedy Triangle by Marilyn Burns. This story introduces the concept
of composing polygons to students as the triangle transforms to a quadrilateral, pentagon, and etc. The teacher will hand out the
Geometric Shapes and The Value of Shapes sheet. Each student will color each set of shapes a different color and cut them out. The teacher
will ask the following questions following the reading:

● “ What was the first shape the triangle transformed into?”

● “What shape can you add to a square to get a pentagon?” Allow students to manipulate their tangram pieces to find the answer.
● “What was the second shape the triangle transformed into?”
● “What shape could you combine the triangle to get a pentagon?”Allow students to manipulate their tangram pieces to find the
answer.
● “ How did the shapes change as you continued through the story?”
● “Why did the shape at the end of the story roll down the hill?”
Have students describe the attributes of the original shape (square) to the newly formed polygon (pentagon). Challenge the students to
create that same pentagon, using different shapes. Have students describe the difference in the two polygons. Explain to students what it
means to subdivide a shape. Have students subdivide a trapezoid using different shapes for both. Below is a student example,

Ask the following questions to ensure comprehension.

● “How did the attributes of the original shape change with each subdivision?”
● “Can we subdivide the shape another way and get different polygons?”

EXPLORE:

Materials Needed:

● Geometric Paper Shapes worksheet

● The value of shapes sheet
● Pencil
● Paper

The purpose of this learning activity is to help students develop and apply spatial sense. This activity should reinforce shapes and the
relationships amongst them. Students will be engaging in the activity, “What’s it worth?” This activity requires The Geometric Paper Shapes
worksheet from the opening activity and The Value of Shapes Sheet. Students will explore the concept of combining and subdividing shapes
by engaging in challenges that reinforce subdivisions. The teacher will explain to students that each shape has an assigned point value and
will go over the criteria for the assignment:

● make a rectangle with the highest possible value and the least possible value
● construct a polygon worth 50 points or more. Have them draw a representation of their polygon
● construct the same polygon with more than 30 points but less than 50
● Have students create a picture using their polygon shapes.
Students will create a picture using their geometric shapes and total the point value. Each student's picture will be hung up from lowest
point value to highest point value for the gallery walk. Students will get the opportunity to walk around a look at their peers pictures.
Prompt students to pay attention to the correlation between point value and shapes used.

The teacher will walk around and observe the students while they explore. The teacher will ask students the following questions during this
phase:

● What new polygons can be created by combining a rectangle and a right triangle? A square and a rectangle?
● What polygons can be created by subdividing a rectangle and a right triangle?

Rubric for Learning Activity “What’s it worth”?

EXPLAIN:

Post Small Group Activity:

Directly following the gallery walk, the teacher will divide the students in groups and have them discuss the following questions:

● What did you notice about pictures and their value?

● Discuss the similarities and differences based on shapes used.
● How can subdividing shapes help in creating pictures?

Students will work together to create a video for their class flipgrid explaining their findings, analyses and conclusions. Students should
present any evidence that supports their findings at this time.

https://info.flipgrid.com/

Following this activity the teacher will play this video to help explain the findings and reveal deeper meaning of student analyses:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIkTpbodd3A&t=163s

The teacher will engage students in a discussion to help define academic language and terminology for their findings.
Vocabulary: combine, subdivide, decompose, compose

ELABORATE: Applications and Extensions:

During this stage students will reflect on the “What’s it's worth activity” and will create their own challenge for one of their classmates to
solve. The teacher will explain to students that they will be using their geometric shapes to create a puzzle for one of their classmates to
solve. Students will design a polygon that can be subdivided using the shapes. The students will then draw the polygon without the
subdivisions and their partner will have to accurately subdivide their polygon within the point requirements selected.

EVALUATE:

The teacher will prompt reflection on today’s concept by asking the following question:

● Can you think of a time that this could be useful?

● Do you have a strategy for solving this problem?
● Can you walk me through your thought process?

Call on individual students to explain their answers to these questions aloud. The teacher will give each student the quiz below to complete.
Students will work independently on this assignment.

*For struggling learners, have students use geoboards to recreate the polygons and manipulate the subdivisions themselves.

Plan for differentiation:

● Students with high-incidence disabilities (e.g., autism, ADHD, mild learning disorders): Students will be allowed access to a
calculator for computation.
● ELL: Allow these students to use manipulatives for the worksheet.
● Gifted learners: For the gallery walk, challenge students to create a picture with the least or greatest possible value.
Elaborate Further / Reflect: Enrichment:
During the course of this lesson, the teacher checks for understanding by asking probing questions within each stage. I will evaluate my
practice based on the verbal answers to these questions and the scores from the quiz. A struggling point for students will most likely be if
any, the concept of spatial awareness and identifying the names of polygons based on their characteristics. This lesson can be strengthened
by adding more resources and academic instruction during the explain phase. This lesson was created with culturally sustaining pedagogies
in mind.