Understanding the Math of Shapes
Let’s dive into the math of shapes in the elementary grades – and don’t miss the free download at the end of this article! Sometimes, teachers think teaching shapes for second graders is simply having students memorize shape names. And that’s no surprise when you look at the materials out there! You can find countless posters that highlight a large shape in the middle with the shape name typed below.
But in reality the math of shapes is so much more! When we teach shapes to our elementary students, we want to encourage them to truly study the shapes. They should spend time looking closely at shapes, manipulating shapes and creating shapes of their own.
When we teach shapes for second graders, it’s important that they understand the properties and characteristics of shapes. This is an essential part of geometry and mathematics education. Elementary students learn about 2D and 3D shapes. In this article, we’ll focus on 2D shapes.
What is a 2D shape?
A 2D shape is a two-dimensional (flat) shape or figure. 2D shapes have varying lengths and widths but they lack depth. When we study 2D shapes, we focus on properties characterized by their outlines or boundaries.
It’s important to introduce the correct vocabulary to our elementary students. This will lead to success in future geometry courses. Some care vocabulary related to the properties of 2D shapes are:
Types of 2D shapes:
When we really think about the math of shapes, there are countless 2D options. But the shapes for second graders that we focus on typically don’t go higher than 8 sides and vertices. Here’s a list of important shapes to cover:
How to sort (classify) 2D shapes
Lessons that introduce shapes for second graders can be a lot of fun! Don’t miss out on the opportunities to use hands-on geometry lessons that involve your students sorting shapes into groups. The mathematical term for sort is “classify”. Make sure you introduce your students to this vocabulary by using those words interchangeably during your lessons.
While there are many ways to sort 2D shapes, in the elementary grades we typically focus on just a couple categories.
POLYGONS – Polygons are closed 2D shapes with 3 or more straight lines that meet to form vertices. It’s important to note they must be closed and have all straight sides. There are countless polygons because they can have any number of sides.
QUADRILATERALS – Quadrilaterals are closed 2D shapes that have exactly 4 sides and 4 vertices. These sides can come together to form any type of angle. In the elementary grades, we focus on squares, rectangles, rhombuses, parallelograms and trapezoids.
The Math of Shapes – 2D Shapes Unit
We’ve created an 8 day unit that covers all of the concepts explained in this article. This unit includes everything you need – leaving you with very little to plan and prep! Take a look at the pacing guide and a few of the activity pages:
Here are the downloadable files for this 2D Shapes Lesson:
- Full Lesson Plans – Day 1-8 (Members Only)
- Correlating Slides – Day 1-8 (Members Only)
- Activity Pages – Day 1-8 (Members Only)
- Final Assessment (Members Only)
- 2D Shape Memory Game (Members Only)
- 2D Shape Vocabulary Cards (PDF)
Looking for a deal? Did you know you can get access to this entire unit along with EVERY other resources Grace Over Grades have ever made? Join our Membership to enjoy UNLIMITED downloads!
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