Kindergarten students learning Geometry - Yep!
The Iowa Core Kindergarten Geometry standards:
Students will...
K.G.A.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.
K.G.B.5 - model shapes in the world by building shapes from components
K.G.B.6 - compose simple shapes to form larger shapes
A fabulous way to integrate technology to reinforce these standards is to use the Osmo system.
Mrs. Stumpf, kindergarten teacher, put students in collaborative groups to work with the Osmos. Students used Tangram pieces to put the shapes together to form and describe objects. Students engaged in the Osmos exercised their spatial and visual problem-solving skills. The Tangram feature of Osmo features over 500 different puzzles of different shapes and forms ranging from animals, numbers, and humans.
It was awesome to experience the excitement the students had in creating "animals" out of shapes and naming the animals. I witnessed students communicating and collaborating on where the pieces needed to go to "create" the animals. If some students were struggling, other students didn't hesitate to help by giving them hints on where the pieces needed to go.
This geometry reinforcement activity definitely had students engaged in 21st Century learning!
