Tangram Lesson

Lesson Goals and Objectives: Students will understand that a tangram is a square broken up into seven geometric shapes Students will identify the different shapes within the tangram Students will use the geometric shapes from the tangram to explore fractions, ratio and area

Standards (Common Core) Grade 5- Number and Operations -Fractions 5.NF.5- Interpret Multiplication as scaling (resizing) Grade 5- Number and Operations- Fractions 5.NF.6- Solve real world problems involving multiplication of fractions and mixed numbers, e.g., by using visual fraction models or equations to represent them Standards (Virginia DOE) Geometry Focus: Classification and Subdividing o 5.12 -The student will classify a.) angles as right, acute, obtuse, or straight, and b.) triangles as right, acute, obtuse, equilateral, scalene, or isosceles o 5.13- The student, using plane figures (square, rectangle, triangle, parallelogram, rhombus, and trapezoid), will a.) develop definitions of these plane figures b.) investigate and describe the results of combining and subdividing plane figures Materials: Baggies of Tangrams Tangram Magician Book Chart with Vocabulary Words Worksheets for Lesson and Extension Activities Cardstock Tangram Template Sheets Plan: (40 minutes): Introduction to Tangrams: (10 minutes) Ask students to raise hands if they have ever thought of being a graphic designer? Architect? Engineer? Fashion Designer? Artist? Explain that all of these professions use geometry, and this is our introduction to geometry unit Tell students We will begin exploring geometric shapes and the relationships between them, but first I will tell them the story of Grandfather Tang

Ancient Chinese, legend has it that one thousand years ago a man dropped a porcelain tile and it broke into seven pieces (five triangles, one square, and one parallelogram). Wait, what is a triangle? What is a square? What is a parallelogram? Have students recall different shapes- What types of triangles make up the tangram? Ask students to raise hands and describe the shapes Anyway, When the man tried to reassemble the square, he discovered he was able to create hundreds of different shapes as well. Introduce book and read storydescribe it as a wisdom book.

Assembling Tangrams (14 minutes) Distribute bags on tangram pieces Teacher will say, First off, I wanted to see if you all could assemble these shapes back into the original tile square that Grandfather Tang had. Teacher will explain that students are welcome to work in pairs or attempt the challenge on their own. Quiet thumb up, if you have assembled the square Students will work at tables to arrange their tangrams in a square. Scaffold for students- draw a square on the board Show where there two large triangles go, if they are struggling

Area and Value (18 minutes)

Teacher will explain to students that we will be using the tangrams to discuss the concept of area. What do they think of when they hear the word area? Teacher will ask a few students to share. Give students an example that connects to them: When you hear someone talking about the center area of the Cafeteria, are they only referring to the outside edges of the room? What do they mean? Teacher will prompt students with, So lets use this understanding of area to look at our tangrams. What if I were to tell you that anyway you arrange the pieces of the tangram the area stays the same? Do you think I am correct in saying that? How do you know? The pieces that make up the tangram can be thought of as having measurable area. Teacher will address students with So, if I were to say that the square has an area of one square unit, then how many square units is one small triangle? Teacher will ask students to give me a thumbs up if they think these question will be easy to answer, thumbs down if they think it will be hard, or thumb in the middle if they think it will be so-so. What about the medium triangle? Parallelogram? Big triangle? What fraction of the entire tangram does one square represent?

Teacher will call on a few students to answer the questions, making sure to ask them how do they know? Teacher will ask different students to explain their answers and reasoning to demonstrate student thinking Teacher will say, Ok, I know that you all have been doing work with decimals, so now we are going to try something a little bit trickier. What if the square cost 10 cents, how much would the small triangle cost? Again, ask students to give a thumbs up if they think this question will be easy to answer, thumbs down if they think it will be hard, or thumb in the middle if they think it will be so-so. What about the medium triangle? Parallelogram? Big triangle? What about the whole tangram square? Teacher will call on a few students to answer the questions, making sure to ask them how do they know?

Closure: (3 minutes)

Teacher will say So, heres the thing, Im not sure if you realize this, but you all were just doing some pretty serious geometry. Figuring out the area of different shapes can be extremely tricky, so way to go! Look at how different shapes were identified, what shapes did we find? What were the ratios we found? How did the shapes compare to the little triangle? Ask students What questions do you have? Ask students Knowing what we learned today, what can we apply this knowledge to?

Extension Activities: 1. Teacher will give the students a worksheet that asks them to think of the complete tangram square as one square unit. What fraction of the large square is each individual shape? 2. Teacher will have the students complete worksheets where they create their own shape with cardstock tangrams (that I will distribute) and write a story line to go with it like the book that was read earlier in the lesson. (Note: This extension may be used as homework for the students that night.) Assessments:

Teacher will assess the students by carefully listening to their contributions to our discussions about shapes, area, and value.

Teacher will circulate the room to assess the students ability to figure out the area and value of the tangrams as they are working through the problems that I have given them. Teacher will informally assess the students comfort with the material by the thumb ratings they give during the lesson. Teacher will collect the students worksheets in order to determine which students need more practice with this type of exercise.