Lesson 10.10 Guess My Rule Task

For the full lesson outline, please see Advantage Math Lesson 10.10

Standards:

4.G.2: Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.

Objectives:

Math Objective: I can analyze shape attributes and properties to create a shape and can sort it with a rule of my choosing.

Language Objective: I can discuss student-created shape sorts and verbally reason about the rules that were used to create the sorts.

Vertical Alignment:

3rd Grade:

Reason with shapes and their attributes.

4th Grade: 4.G.2: Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.

5th Grade:

5.G.3.B Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category. For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are rectangles, so all squares have four right angles.

Notes:

This is a task-based activity. Students will be using a synthesis of information from lessons in this domain and other areas of mathematics to reason through the activity. It is important to uphold the expectation of a productive struggle for the students.

Lesson Outline:

🚀Launch (In class or remote):

Invite students to look at the box labeled “All of These Have Something in Common.” Ask them to identify what the shapes
may have in common. (Students may notice that all of the shapes have at least one right angle. Students may make other observations. Invite them to look at the next box and see if those observations are present, which would disqualify them from being the sorting rule for this set.)
Instruct students to look at the box labeled “None of These Have It.” Which of the properties that students identified in the first shape are not seen in these shapes?
Instruct students to look at the box labeled “Which of These Have It?” Discuss which of the shapes would fit in the rule. (Students may notice that the hexagon, rectangle, and trapezoid would fit in the rule.)

🤔Explore (In class or remote):

Distribute the 11×17-inch paper, protractors, and rulers. Make graph paper available for students to choose which type of graph or dot paper they would prefer to use.
Instruct students to fold their 11×17-inch paper into thirds. Then unfold. The top third will be labeled “All of These Have Something in Common.” The middle third will be labeled, “None of These Have It.” The bottom third will be labeled, “Which of These Have It?”
Ask students to determine a sorting rule and then create shapes that would fit in each of the three sections on the page. They can use grid paper, dot paper, or blank paper to create their shapes, which can be cut out and glued to the appropriate section of the paper or directly drawn onto the sectioned paper. Encourage students to color the shapes so that they stand out against the white background of their sectioned paper.
- Possible soring rules may include, but are not limited to: congruent sides, opposite sides, parallel, two congruent angles, two lines of symmetry, etc.
- Divide the class into groups of 4–6 students. Instruct students to take turns displaying their sorting pages, and have the remaining students discuss and determine which sorting rule the student used, as well as which shapes in the last section could be included in the sorting rule.
- Re-gather the class and share a few student-created pages to discuss as a whole class.

💬Discuss A (In class or remote)

Have students discuss how they figured out what each shape's rule is.