Math Lesson Plan

Christy Freeman
Fundamental Concepts and Skills:
Geometry (Shape, spatial sense)
Objectives: Pre-K Standards: Match and sort shapes, describe how shapes are similar
and different, Identify shapes, locate shapes in regards to other objects.
Ages: 3-5
Anticipatory Set / Pre-Assessment Introduction:
In order to get the children interested I will ask them Who wants to learn about
shapes? I will hold up various shapes and ask them Who knows what this shape is?
This will allow me to see who knows about certain shapes. I will then allow the children
to explore on their own with a variety of shapes and discuss with each other what
different shapes there are.
Materials:
A variety of shapes, of different sizes and colors, to include squares, circles, triangles,
and rectangles. There will be 15-20 different shapes made of different materials. For
example, some will be paper cutouts, some will be blocks, balls, big, small, different
colors. Special needs children may need to use shape templates where they can try to
reproduce the shapes. Also, it might be necessary to teach bilingual students in their
native language.
Procedure: List step by step instructions for how you would Students will start out sitting in a collective area of the classroom, such as the carpet.
Once I have introduced the materials being used, the students will split into small
groups and explore with the materials on their own some. The students will have
separate stations for each group and the materials will be waiting for them at their
stations. This activity will be conducted gradually over a few days. This will give the
students time to begin to recognize the shapes and then move onto classifying and
sorting them and finally to the spatial sense aspect of the lesson. This activity will be a
mixture of exploration and didactic instruction. I will tell the groups to sort the shapes by
what shape it is. Then I will have them sort the shapes by color. Then I will have them
sort the different shapes by size. Then I will tell them different directions such as Put
one of the triangles on top of one of the squares. Or, Put the circle next to the
rectangle. There will be a variety of directions like this one, substituting different
shapes and spatial sense terms each time.
Observations of children during lesson:
I do not work in a classroom, and I dont have access to many children. I was able to
have one child complete this activity. He was 5 years old and was already able to
identify shapes and colors. I asked him to separate the materials by shape and he did
so with no problem. I them asked him to separate them by size and he also had no

problem doing this. I then began with the spatial directions and he for the most part
could do all of those fine as well. He had a few difficulties when it came to more
detailed direction, for example I told him to put the pink triangle on top of the largest
square. He had to think a little harder with this, but I was able to walk him through it by
having him first pick the pink triangle and then pick the largest square. He seemed to
really enjoy playing with the different shapes and at the end he wanted to just build his
own creation, which was fine with me. I could also tell that he was excited when he got
the answers right.
Interaction:
I can ask the students how they could tell if a shape was a triangle. They can tell me
they knew because it has three sides, or because it is not round. I can ask how they
knew that a certain material was larger or smaller than another. I can ask them what
would happen if we removed some of the materials from the pile, or added some more.
Assessment:
The children will be assessed by me observing them, and completing a yes/no form for
their learning portfolio. I will observe if they can identify the different shapes. I will
observe if they can sort the shapes according to different categories (large, small,
color). I will observe if they can correctly complete spatial directions (next to, on top of,
in between, in front of, behind). The children will not even be aware that they are being
assessed, which I believe will help them feel more relaxed and at ease. They will
simply be playing with different shapes and learning about the geometric aspect of early
childhood math.
Extension Activities:
I could have the children identify everyday objects that are certain shapes. For example
I could have them find something in the classroom that is square, or round. I could
have them go outside and find items that are different shapes. I could have the children
use the objects in the same way as the activity and sort them according to different
aspects. I could also tell the children to stand in front of a square, or stand next to a
circle. This would allow the children to use these concepts in everyday life.
Reflections/Self-Evaluation:
Since I was only able to have one child participate in my activity it is hard to say if it
would work well in a classroom setting. I think it would work well, and that the children
would enjoy it. The child that I had complete the activity did exceedingly well on it and
only had a few troubles when I tried to make the directions a little more complex. I was
able to break the directions down though which helped him complete the task asked of
him. All in all, I think this is a great way for children to learn shapes and to learn to sort
and organize them. I think the children will have fun playing with the materials as well
as have confidence in choosing the correct shapes.