Shapes

We began by reflecting on our own knowledge of shapes. The students were asked to share what they already:

• know about shapes
• think about shapes
• wonder about shapes

Some student questions that could drive our inquiry include:

• What can we make if we put shapes together? (Miranda)
• Why are shapes called shapes? (Reg)
• Why are shapes not the same? (Kavel)
• Could shapes ever look like animals? (Carlotta)
• Are there shapes that have more than 10 angles? (Chanwoong)
• Are there 4-dimensional shapes? (Chanwoong)
• How many shapes are there? (Eunseong)
• Who created shapes? (Seungje)
• Do all shapes have corners? (Elena)
• How many shapes are there in the world? (Hannah)
• Why do we have shapes? (Sky)

To help us explore these wonderings further, we began to create shapes with toothpicks. The students were offered a challenge. The students were encouraged to use mathematical language to share their creations. As they described the shapes we began to document the vocabulary they used.

Maths Vocabulary – Shape