Lesson Plan

Grade/Subject: Grade 3 Math Unit: Shape and Space: 2D and 3D

Lesson Duration: 60 Minutes
OUTCOMES FROM LEARNING OBJECTIVES ASSESSMENTS
ALBERTA PROGRAM OF (Observations, Key Questions, Written
Assessments, Performance Assessments)
STUDIES
GLO: Describe the characteristics Students will find real-world Formative Observations: Students
of 3-D objects and 2-D shapes, and examples of 3D objects around the will “hunt” for 3D shapes and will
analyze the relationships among school. later share in a class discussion.
them The expectation will be set that all
Students will make connections to students will contribute an
2D shapes. example. I can easily monitor and
ensure that all students
LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED
Resource #1: Alberta Education. (2007; Updated 2016). Mathematics (K-9) Program of Study: Grade 3.
Alberta, Canada: Alberta Education.

MATERIALS AND EQUPMENT

Visual journals/sketchpads and a pencil (students)
Slips with the shapes they should be looking for
Chart to record examples
PROCEDURE
Introduction (8 min):
Advance Organizer/Agenda:
Slip of paper with which shapes students need to find

Attention Grabber & Assessment of Prior Knowledge:

 Ask students for any examples of 3D objects that they can think of and write them on the white board
 Ask students to remind the class how a 3D object differs from a 2D shape
 Inform students they will be going on a shape hunt today!
 Review guidelines and expectations for the shape hunt
 Check for understanding of the task and if there are any questions
o “Thumbs up, down, middle, if you understand”

Expectations for Learning and Behaviour:

 Students are expected to be well-behaved and respectful of the other class’ learning while on the
scavenger hunt. Review this with the students before by having them tell me how they should behave.
 There will be no rough play in the hallways, and students are expected to be on-task, searching for 3D
objects and sketching pictures of them and jotting down other names of objects if they are finding many
 I will also let them know that there will be an intercom announcement for 3S students to return to class,
so they should be attentive.
 When they return, students should be eager to share their examples of 3D objects that they found around
the school; let students know that I will be looking for hands to survey how many found each shape, but
will then go “down the line” to ask all students an example or two of what they found
 They can work in pairs or alone; emphasize the importance of choosing a partner who they will work well
with and not be distracted by.

Transition to Body
 Hand out the slips of paper to the students and encourage students to decide how they will be “hunting” –
alone or with a partner (approved by me)

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 Body (min):
Learning Activity #1: 3-D Object Hunt
 Once the 3-D object slips have been handed out to the students, ensure the ones who are “hunting” in
pairs have made a smart choice for their partner, ensuring that students who are not allowed to be in the
hallway together are not. Reinforce smart choices of partners because they will work well together and
focus on the task.
 Remind students to bring a pencil and their visual journals to sketch pictures and jot names of objects
 Remind students to come back once the announcement to return is made

Learning Activity #2: Class discussion

 Once enough time has passed for the hunt and the students have returned to class, fill in a chart of the 3D
solid, a tally count for how many were found, and a column for examples around the school
 Ask students, “Who can tell me what the first shape, second shape, etc., is called and how do you know?”
 Then ask for a show of hands for how many found each shape in the school
 Discuss and analyze why some 3-D objects are more commonly found than others
 Call on each student/group of students to provide an example of each shape

Teacher Actions:
 Preps materials while students are “hunting”
 Facilitates the discussion on the shapes once the students have returned to the classroom
 Fills in the chart with students’ assistance

Assessments/Differentiation:
 The shape hunt activity lends itself well to many different types of students and their learning
preferences – they get to explore, draw, and get out of their desks while learning
 The written chart will be effective for those students who need visuals and the class discussion will allow
everyone to share

Transition:
 Prepare for brief closing discussion
Closure (5 min):
Consolidation/Assessment of Learning:
 “By raising your hand, was there an object someone else found that you did not think of or maybe even
passed?”
 Inquire as to why they did not think of that/passed it
 What can we infer about shapes in our environment?

Feedback from Students:

 “If you enjoyed today's class, say ‘woo woo!’”

Feedback to Students:
 Thank you for participating and for being respectful to those learning in their classrooms. Praise those in
pairs for their choice of partners because they work well together (if they actually did).

Transition to Next Lesson:

 Next lesson, we will be exploring 3-D shapes in more detail and describing their attributes, just like we
did for polygons!
REFLECTION

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 The reflection for this lesson will be focused on the examples that students share about the 3D objects and
the discussions that arise out of the quantity and quality of examples found, and if it really was as good of a
learning experience as I believe is should be. It will also be interesting to see if students choose partners who
they work well with (if I explicitly say to do so).

This lesson went well. Of course, the one that goes well is the one where the students are not in the classroom
. Students were excited and engaged, and quite well-behaved while they were out in the hallway. I should
have been more explicit when telling the students what they should sketch – some were sketching the 3-D
shape instead of the real-world object of that shape. Describing the expectations first would have been ideal,
because once the visual journals were out the students got a bit crazy. Students came up with creative
examples of the 3-D shapes, which was nice to see. I was able to walk around the school and see how the
students were doing and some were struggling to find shapes. I would point objects out and ask the students
what shape each was – the exit sign (rectangular prism), the fire alarm bell (hemisphere), a waterbottle in the
hallway (cylinder), etc. This helped the students realize that everything is a 3-D shape! Which was the
objective of this activity.

Once the students were called back over the intercom, we filled out a chart about the shapes, frequency in the
school, and some examples. We then had a brief discussion about the shapes and whether someone had
suggested something another had not realized and why shapes are so common, and why some are more
common than others. It went well but was rushed, as I am still struggling with the time management – 40
minutes goes by very fast, especially when instructions take longer than anticipated.

The students provided a breadth of examples, so I was very happy with that. Additionally, most of the
students chose partners who they work well with, which was good to see. Students participated in the brief
discussion even though it was cut short. I have not been able to remember to leave time to get student
feedback, so that is something I need to work on. I always try to thank the students for their hard work,
though. However I have been incorporating checks for understanding and increasing my comfort level with
attention grabbers and management strategies.

I am happy with how this lesson turned out and how engaged the students were. The students responded well
to autonomy and independence in being able to leave the class, and returned with some quality examples.
With better, more explicit instructions from me, this lesson could have been perfect!