Lesson Plan: Shapes in the Environment

1. Content:
Common Core State Standards:

K.G.1 Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.

Essential Questions:
How can I identify shapes?
How can I describe shapes?
How can I correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size?


K.G.2. Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.

Essential Question:
How can I correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size?

The content that I will be teaching is kindergarten math and more specifically, identifying and describing shapes in space using a Smartboard activity I found on the SMART Exchange website called “Shape It Up”. The big idea is to recognizing, naming and classifying shapes in the environment. It may be difficult for some students to apply their prior knowledge of shapes to the objects in the real world. Another challenge may be recognizing familiar shapes in unfamiliar sizes, orientations, and settings.


2. Pedagogy:
Learning takes place in the form of constructivism, behaviorism and some scaffolding. Behaviorism takes place when I go through the Smartboard activity and demonstrate one or two examples from each page (sliding the triangle shaped objects into the empty triangle, sorting shapes, matching....) while they watch. There should be no verbal instructions. By now they will have some basic knowledge of shapes and my goal is for them to be able to apply what they know in order to complete this activity. The demonstration will tap into their prior knowledge of shapes so when it is their turn to do the activity, they are able to concentrate on their new skill of finding shapes in the environment (scaffolding). The constructivism is taking place when the students are actively engaged in the Smartboard activity, figuring out what each shape is and where it belongs on the board. Scaffolding will also occur if a child is having a hard time using the Smartboard then I will step in and show them how to use it again. The activity has a control of error to prevent a student from getting the wrong answer. It is very important for me to observe the students doing the activity in order to ensure student understanding, success and achievement.


3. Content & Pedagogy:
Students know the expectations and how to do the activity from observing me demonstrate some examples (behaviorism). This will tap into their prior knowledge of shapes so when it is their turn to do the activity, they are able to concentrate on their new skill of finding shapes in the environment (scaffolding). Without the teacher’s assistance, students are forced to rely on themselves to figure out the correct answers. Their work is uninterrupted which enables them to gain a deeper understanding of the topic by exploring, engaging in, correcting and therefore learning from their own mistakes while completing the activity independently (constructivism). Scaffolding will also occur is a child is having a hard time using the Smartboard then I will step in and show them how to use it again. The activity has a control of error to prevent a student from getting the wrong answer. My observations and limited but necessary interventions are key to ensuring student understanding and success.


4. Technology:
I will be using a Smartboard activity I found on the SMART Exchange website called “Shape It Up” for my technology tool. Achievement is increased when students are active participants. If I want my students to learn the material by interacting with the content in a fun and exciting way then the use of this technology is necessary. Another option for using the “Shape It Up” activity would be for students to use it on a regular computer but this option would not be quite as exciting as using the Smartboard. Regular computers are also not as effective because they don’t provide the physical interaction that the Smartboard allows for.


5. Technology & Pedagogy:
The Smartboard activity is especially appropriate because it uses a variety of learning for teaching for individual learning styles. This would include kinesthetic, visual and verbal. It also allows for independent work. Without the teacher’s assistance, student are forced to rely on themselves to figure out the correct answers. Constructivism takes place because their work is uninterrupted which enables them to gain a deeper understanding of the topic by exploring, engaging in, correcting and therefore learning from their own mistakes while completing the activity independently. The activity has a control of error to prevent a student from getting the wrong answer. My observations and limited but necessary interventions are key to ensuring student understanding and success.


6. Technology & Content:
The Smartboard activity provides an exciting and interactive way of presenting a wide variety of realistic examples of shapes in the environment. The activity provides a control of error (“Oops! Try again!”) so the student will know if he needs to try again. My observations will help me decide whether or not a student needs me to reteach or if a student is ready to be assessed.


7. Assessment:
I would like my students to be able to apply their prior knowledge of shapes to the objects in the real world in order to name, describe, and classify the shapes in the environment. It’s important that they develop the ability to recognize familiar shapes in unfamiliar sizes, orientations, and settings. The assessment would be my observations of a student’s independent performance while doing the activity. This will help me decide if the student needs to be retaught, if they just need more practice or if they have mastered the concept are ready to move on to 3D shapes in the environment.