Grade 5 Shape and Space (3-D Objects and 2-D Shapes)

The sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will use the visualization of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional objects to solve problems related to spatial relation.

It is expected that students will:

construct, analyse, and classify triangles according to their side measurements
build, represent, and describe geometric objects and shapes
classify and name polygons according to the number of their sides (e.g., 3, 4, 5, 6, 8)
cover two-dimensional shapes with a set of tangram pieces
complete the drawing of a three-dimensional object on grid paper given the front face
determine experimentally the minimum information needed to draw or identify a given two-dimensional shape

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Shape and Space (3-D Objects and 2-D Shapes) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

In Grade 5, we want students to consolidate their understanding of polygons and how they relate to three-dimensional objects. Many students at this age are still dependent on concrete referents and therefore require activities that use manipulatives to support and enrich their development of geometric and spatial sense. Modelling, mapping, and spatial experiences organized around physical models can help students discover, visualize, and represent geometric figures in the physical world.

Have students work co-operatively to cut, sort, and glue three-, four-, five-, six-, and eight-sided figures from the following shape.
Have students, cutting along straight lines only, find all the possible shapes with a given number of sides. Then have them group the shapes according to side lengths and explain their reasoning for the groupings.
Provide students with sets of tangrams or cardboard cutouts. Challenge students to use the tangrams (or cutouts) to make other shapes, such as squares, trapezoids, or parallelograms. Then have them create the shapes, trace them, and exchange them with partners who then fill them in with the cutout shapes.
Have students play a game in pairs in which each student hides a geometric shape and then describes it to his/her partner who must draw it from the description alone.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Students reveal their understanding of shape and space as they manipulate, visualize, and talk about the objects around them. Their written and oral communications about their understanding of spatial relationships give students opportunities to use the language of mathematics, to explain their thinking, to use inductive reasoning, and to engage in divergent thinking.

Observe

Collect sets of puzzles created by students. Observe students as they try to solve the puzzles their classmates have created.

Question

Pose questions to students as they are working:
- Why did you put these shapes together?
- How are these similar and different?
- How do the sides of these triangles vary? Record their rationales for classifying.

Collect

Once students have been introduced to the names for various figures, they can play flashcard games in pairs or small groups to help memorize the names. They can then create their own records of their progress.
Have students write a description of a shape, using the minimum number of criteria required to draw it. Look for the specific attributes described by students and record them using a checklist.