Ways to Look at Figures
10 min
Narrative
This Warm-up prompts students to compare four geometric figures. It encourages students to carefully examine each figure and to use language precisely (MP6). It also gives the teacher an initial opportunity to hear the terminology students use to describe and compare the attributes of two-dimensional figures and to make comparisons. When students explain their thinking, ask them to clarify the terminology they use. For instance, if they say, “same sides” or “square corners,” urge them to elaborate on what each phrase means.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
- “Pick 3 that go together. Be ready to share why they go together.”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 2–3 minutes: partner discussion
- Share and record responses.
Student Task
Which 3 go together?
Sample Response
- They show four sides.
- At least 2 sides are the same length.
- They have a right angle.
- They have one pair of perpendicular sides.
- All segments meet other segments.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “What attributes of the figures did you pay attention to as you tried to find which 3 go together?"
- As students share, highlight the attributes on the images that they are comparing.
Standards
- 4.G.1·Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
- 4.G.A.1·Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
- 4.G.2·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. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles. (Two-dimensional shapes should include special triangles, e.g., equilateral, isosceles, scalene, and special quadrilaterals, e.g., rhombus, square, rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid.)
- 4.G.A.2·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. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.
20 min
15 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
Ways to Look at Figures
10 min
Narrative
This Warm-up prompts students to compare four geometric figures. It encourages students to carefully examine each figure and to use language precisely (MP6). It also gives the teacher an initial opportunity to hear the terminology students use to describe and compare the attributes of two-dimensional figures and to make comparisons. When students explain their thinking, ask them to clarify the terminology they use. For instance, if they say, “same sides” or “square corners,” urge them to elaborate on what each phrase means.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
- “Pick 3 that go together. Be ready to share why they go together.”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 2–3 minutes: partner discussion
- Share and record responses.
Student Task
Which 3 go together?
Sample Response
- They show four sides.
- At least 2 sides are the same length.
- They have a right angle.
- They have one pair of perpendicular sides.
- All segments meet other segments.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “What attributes of the figures did you pay attention to as you tried to find which 3 go together?"
- As students share, highlight the attributes on the images that they are comparing.
Standards
- 4.G.1·Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
- 4.G.A.1·Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
- 4.G.2·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. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles. (Two-dimensional shapes should include special triangles, e.g., equilateral, isosceles, scalene, and special quadrilaterals, e.g., rhombus, square, rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid.)
- 4.G.A.2·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. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.