Quick Images

I tried the Quick Images exercise today in my (fourth-grade) main placement and was surprised at how successful it was. I launched our geometry unit today, and after last Wednesday's class, I thought such an activity might mix up our warm-up routine and introduce a new topic at the same time. (Our warm-up routine, after students put their stuff away, is typically a review worksheet related to whatever math topic we covered the day before). Allison was kind enough to loan me a book in which three geometric designs are provided for a Quick Images exercise.

The first image is a square attached to four triangles (the sides of the square form the base of each triangle), so it looks like a four-pointed star; the second is a rectangle divided into four smaller rectangles; the third is a parallelogram divided into four triangles. I was prepared to move on after two images if the kids weren't into it, but instead, they LOVED it. It may have been due partly to the sheer novelty of the warm-up, but the kids were completely engaged with the drawing and the brief discussion of shapes--what they drew first, what they noticed, etc. Naturally, some kids pointed out aspects of the image I hadn't noticed (the letter "H" inside the rectangle; the "W" formed by the triangles inside the parallelogram), and they were eager to see each subsequent image. The whole experience left me thinking I should do this two or three more times, with different images, before my placement is up. It was clearly a hit.