Comparing Flat and Solid Shapes

I don't know about you, but teaching about shapes in kindergarten is one of my least favorite units.

And let me first say, I am a shape kinda girl. I am obsessed with pattern blocks and tangrams- in fact MANY of my TpT products include them! Those require spatial awareness and problem solving and well...I could go on and on.....

But I just am not in love with introducing flat shapes.... I feel like when you start the kids are like, "Yeah, it's a triangle...don't you know that? Ok ok....3 sides, 3 vertices .... I got this lady!"

{Although usually the word "vertices" is new}

Then all of sudden you introduce solid shapes and we spend almost a whole day learning how to pronounce "sphere."

"spear"

close.....

"suuuuu ....phere"

um, yes, close enough.

So we sort the shapes, sing about the shapes, we make collages with shapes, we create the solid shapes with toothpicks and marshmallows or clay or whatever.... We even make some shape people. I'm working hard to engage them and make sure they REALLY know what they think they already know!

But do you know what I have realized... I teach the two topics separately... some time is spent on flat shapes and then we move on to the solid shapes.

And do you know what the problem with that is?

This is one of our kinder math Common Core standards:

K.G.B.4 Analyze and compare two and three dimensional shapes in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts {e.g. number of sides and vertices} and other attributes.

It sounds easy enough, but I realized as much as the kids had sorted and created - they hadn't compared the two together.

We looked at them in class.... In fact, if you look at the picture above I have the kiddos come over and take a look from that vantage point in order to SEE how the flat and solid differ.

And another interesting finding was that they had trouble sorting them by flat and solid. Not on the carpet with the hands on version.... but in any other way.

So I created this quick freebie....not as much of a teaching tool, but as a quick and fast assessment at the end.

We just started using a Common Core report card this year and I am being asked to have three pieces of evidence for each area we cover and mark on the report card. So this is going to be one assessment I can use for the geometry portion.

That's it today.... I have so many ideas swirling in my head about a geometry unit I want to create the will teach flat and solid shapes simeltaneously and not one and then the other. When that exists I will be sure to let you know.