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Activity 1

Standards Alignment

Building On

Addressing

Building Toward

Instructional Routines

Materials

To Copy (from Blackline Masters)

Compose a Butterfly Handout

To Gather

Activity Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to compose the same shape in different ways. Students create a butterfly by composing hexagons, using different pattern blocks. Students are encouraged to explain how they composed their hexagons, using the geometric language they’ve learned in previous lessons (MP6). For example, “I used 1 trapezoid and 3 triangles to make a hexagon.” Throughout the activity, listen for the ways students describe how they can compose a shape from, or decompose a shape into, smaller shapes.

Monitor for and select students, with the following approaches, to share in the Activity Synthesis:

Compose a hexagon, using equal-size shapes: 2 trapezoids, 6 triangles, or 3 blue rhombuses.
Compose hexagons, using different shapes.

The approaches are sequenced from hexagons composed of equal-size shapes to those composed of different shapes to help students notice and describe shapes that are composed of equal-size pieces and those that are not. Aim to elicit both key mathematical ideas and a variety of student voices, especially students who haven’t shared recently.

MLR8 Discussion Supports. Before students begin composing hexagons, remind them to use the name of each shape rather than the color of the pattern block. Invite students to chorally repeat the shape of each block.
Advances: Speaking Representation: Develop Language and Symbols. Provide students with access to the definitions of the shapes they will use, so they can have conversations using the correct vocabulary terms.
Supports accessibility for: Language, Memory

Launch

Groups of 2
Give students pattern blocks and a copy of the blackline master.
Display the pattern block butterfly image.

Activity

“Mai used pattern blocks to make this design. Work with a partner to make the same design, without using any yellow hexagons.”
“Try to use as many different shape combinations as you can to make each hexagon.”
“For each hexagon, draw the lines of the inside shapes to show how you composed it.”
“Pick one of your hexagons. Use words and numbers to explain how you composed it.”
10 minutes: partner work time
As you monitor for the approaches listed in the Activity Narrative, consider asking:
- “How do you know the shape you made is the same as one of the yellow hexagons?”
- “What shapes did you use instead of a yellow hexagon?”
- “What other shapes could you use instead?”

Mai used pattern blocks to make this design. Work with a partner to make the same design, without using yellow hexagons.

Butterfly composed of a variety of pattern block shapes.

Student Response

Activity Synthesis

Invite previously selected students to share in the given order.
If possible, display student hexagons, or draw hexagons, as they share. Display the hexagons in two groups: one group composed of equal-size pieces, and the other group composed of different pieces.

Hexagon.

Hexagon composed of pattern blocks: 1 trapezoid, 3 triangles.

Hexagon composed of 6 triangle pattern blocks.

Hexagon composed of pattern blocks.

Hexagon composed of pattern blocks.

Hexagon composed of pattern blocks.

Connect students’ approaches by asking:
- “What is the same about the shapes we made?” (All are hexagons. When you put the pieces together, the outside has 6 sides and 6 corners. They are made up of more than 1 shape.)
- “What is different about the hexagons we made?” (They use different pieces. Some hexagons use only the same shape. Some hexagons use different shapes.)
Connect students’ approaches to the learning goal by asking:
- “What do you notice about these two groups of hexagons?” (In the first group, each hexagon is made up of the same shape. 6 triangles or 2 trapezoids or 3 rhombuses. Each hexagon in the second group is made up of different shapes that have different sizes.)

Activity 2

Standards Alignment

Building On

Addressing

Building Toward

Instructional Routines

None

Materials

To Copy (from Blackline Masters)

Centimeter Dot Paper - Standard

Isometric Dot Paper - Standard

To Gather

Activity Narrative

The purpose of this activity is for students to compose shapes with two, three, or four equal-size shapes. The work of this activity lays the foundation for partitioning shapes into halves, thirds, or fourths.

Students make three different shapes, using two, three, or four pattern blocks of the same shape. They record their compositions on either the triangle or square dot paper. The structure of the dots helps students make sure that the parts of their shapes are equal.

Launch

Give each student pattern blocks.
Give students access to triangle and square dot paper.
Display the 3 shape images.
“What is the same? What is different?”
30 seconds: quiet think time
Share responses.

Activity

“In this activity, you are going to make shapes that only use the same equal-size shapes, like the first and third shapes.”
“Compose three different shapes, using 2, 3, or 4 of the same equal-size shape. Show the outline of each block on the dot paper. Name each shape and explain how you composed it.”
“You can use the triangle or square dot paper to help you record.”
As needed, demonstrate drawing the outline on dot paper and naming the hexagon made of 6 triangles, from the Launch.
8 minutes: independent work time
Monitor for one student who composes a shape, using 2 blocks, and another student who composes a shape, using 4 blocks.

What is the same? What is different?

Shape composed of 4 pattern block triangles.

Figure composed of pattern blocks.

Diagram. Rectangle composed of pattern blocks.

Compose 3 different shapes. Use 2, 3, or 4 of the same equal-size shapes.
Show the outline of each block on the dot paper.

Name each shape and explain how you composed it.

I used ________________________________________

to compose a _____________________________________.
I used ________________________________________

to compose a _____________________________________.
I used ________________________________________

to compose a _____________________________________.

Student Response

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Advancing Student Thinking

Activity Synthesis

Display selected students’ shapes.
“Describe how these shapes are composed.” (They used 2 trapezoids to compose a hexagon. They used 4 small squares to compose a larger square.)