Teacher's tips

Level of Education: Elementary School

Subject: Mathematics

Theme: Geometric shapes

Age: 05 to 07 years old

Geometric shapes are all around us in our daily lives. We can stimulate the kids to be aware of the forms around them. There are flat shapes, non-flat shapes, polygons, non-polygons, polyhedra, non-polyhedra, Platonic solids, and geometric shapes in which each part of the figure resembles the whole, called fractals. The teacher can propose many activities to identify geometric shapes.

This game uses these shapes in a playful and fun way since the kid will play to fit each geometric shape in a Halloween picture, which contextualizes the game. The Lucky Cat is the main character of this game and represents a good side of the spooky season because it represents good energy and luck, which is the opposite of what many people think. The cat will be a way to encourage empathy in the game.

The other characters can be related to the black cat. Using technology as a tool is easier to work with geometric shapes. This tool helps the learning process during the classes. There are many different ways to work with geometric shapes: a movie session, drawing, and small plays. This topic has a lot of images that teachers can use in the teaching-learning process. There are some songs about these shapes, such as "The shape song #1 and #2" (by Super Simple Songs). Geometry is a fundamental part of mathematics because it has absolute importance on the logic skills organization and in the making of most of our daily activities. [FIM-DICA]

Learner outcomes

To introduce students to flat geometric shapes;

To associate flat geometric shapes with objects;

To identify flat shapes and name them;

To highlight similarities and differences between the shapes in the puzzle;

To create new shapes from the flat geometric shapes;

To draw using geometric shapes;

To create stories using the geometric shapes on the online game;

To create puppets using geometric shapes, name them, and insert them in the students' stories;

To realize that geometry is essential in our daily lives.

Teachers' goals

To explore with the students and identify the geometric properties of objects and figures (shape, size, and position) so they can recognize the characteristics of each one of them.

To make playful classes that will help in the teaching-learning process;

To elaborate interdisciplinary projects;

To enable the students to interact among themselves, realizing the importance of empathy and collaboration;

To take the students to a magic universe and rescue traditions of a puzzle;

To make writing workshops ask the students to write texts that have geometric shapes as the main topic and the 'Luck Cat' as the main character, including the Cat's friends.

To use modern tools to make the classes more dynamic and help the students understand the content.

To improve the classes with dynamics to work the abilities of the students.

Suggestions of approaches for the teacher

Geometry is considered an essential tool for the description and the interrelation of man and the space where they live. It is the most intuitive, concrete, and close-to-reality part of mathematics. The teacher can start the class by presenting students with geometric shapes on the online game. Ask them to identify those shapes in objects of their reality. Before starting the game, you can show them objects with those shapes, such as a circle, squares, triangles, and stars. It is also interesting to place some geometric shapes on the floor and ask the students to present them to you or their classmates. It is also possible to get some materials that wouldn't be used anymore and create puppets, name them, and create stories to tell the class. The teacher can suggest students do this in groups and be more creative. You can also make activities of fitting objects inside and out the shapes.

The classes with these strategies are more playful as well as attractive. Knowledge becomes something fun.

The English teacher can plan a writing workshop in which the students write stories about characters created with geometric shapes (in their Art classes). The kids can present their stories in a play organized by the teacher.

The teacher can take a real black cat to the classroom to call students' attention. This moment will encourage the students to treat these animals respectfully. After that, they can write a text about the black cat. It will be a fun and productive class.

More about the content

To make more dynamic classes, the music teacher can ask the kids to create musical instruments using recyclable materials with geometric shapes. It will stimulate them to pay attention to the forms of the figures they are studying and the sound of their musical instruments. Theatre is a good strategy because teachers and researchers consider it a great way to make children socialize, memorize sentences, and other things that can help the kids in the literacy process and their evolution as citizens. The art teacher can give students some geometric shapes related to Halloween. Then, they will assemble a puzzle with the pictures and create stories based on them.