Lesson 3 Plane Shapes and
Their Properties
Objective Students should be familiar with plane shapes. In this lesson students
will expand their knowledge by classifying the shapes based on sides
Identify and classify and angles. Being familiar with how shapes are formed and classified
plane shapes based on will provide a solid foundation for future geometry topics.
their properties.
Try Perform the Try It! activity on the next page.
Materials it
■ AngLegs® with Protractor
(1 set per group) Talk About It
■ Classifying Triangles and Discuss the Try It! activity.
Classifying Quadrilaterals
■ Have students verify the angle measures with the protractor.
Recording Sheets
(Lesson 3, pages 146–147, Ask: What do you notice about the other angles in a right triangle?
1 per group) In an obtuse triangle? In an acute triangle?
■ Ask: Were there certain combinations of three pieces that did not
form triangles? Why do you think they didn’t?
EL Support ■ Discuss irregular quadrilaterals and have students build kites
■ Review vocabulary: acute, and trapezoids. Have them point out the different sides and
obtuse, right, isosceles,
angle measures.
scalene, equilateral,
parallelogram, trapezoid,
square, rhombus,
rectangle, congruent. Draw Solve It
a diagram for each as you
name them. Reread the problem with students. Have students describe the
quadrilaterals they built and discuss the different ways they could
■ Explain to students that
a mosaic is a style of sort them.
art or decoration that is
made of small pieces of
different materials. Show More Ideas
students a visual of some
mosaic examples. For other ways to teach classifying plane shapes based on
their properties—
■ Write the following
sentence frame to be
■ Have students work in pairs. Have one student use AngLegs® to build
used during the Try It! a triangle. Then have the other student classify it by its angles and
This triangle is , its sides.
because . ■ Have students work in pairs. The first student should list two
properties of a quadrilateral. The other student should then draw
a quadrilateral that has these properties. Have students discuss
if there are other ways to make the quadrilateral. Have students
swap roles.
■ For more practice, use Lesson 3 student page 148.
92
Try Activity
it
15
Here is a problem about identifying 15 minutes Groups of 3
and classifying plane shapes based on
their properties.
Reggie and Luna want to make a mosaic using triangles and quadrilaterals.
What are some triangles and quadrilaterals they could make?
Introduce the problem. Distribute materials to students. Then have students do the
activity to solve the problem.
Geometry
1 2
Say: Triangles can be classified by their angles. Say: Triangles can also be classified by their sides
A triangle with a 90° angle is called a right triangle. as equilateral, isosceles, or scalene. An equilateral
An acute triangle has all angles less than 90°, and an triangle has all sides equal. An isosceles triangle
obtuse triangle has an angle greater than 90°. Then has two sides equal. A scalene triangle has all
have students use AngLegs® to build each type of three sides of different lengths. Have students
triangle. Students can verify the right angle with the build and record information about each type of
protractor and use that as a guide. Have students draw triangle in the next three rows of the recording
and describe their triangles on the recording sheet. sheet. Ask: Is an equilateral triangle always acute?
3 4
Have students use the AngLegs® to build a square.
Ask: What is special about the sides of a square? The Have students build a rectangle. Ask: What is
angles? Elicit that squares have four congruent sides special about the angles of a rectangle? Elicit that
and four right angles. Say: Adjust the angles of your rectangles have four right angles. Say: Adjust the
shape so they are not right angles. Ask: What shape angles of your shape so they are not right angles.
do you have now? Elicit that they now have a rhombus. Ask: What shape do you have now? Elicit that it is
Have students draw and describe their square and a parallelogram. Have students draw and describe
rhombus on the recording sheet. both shapes on the recording sheet.
Look Out! Formative Assessment
Make sure students are familiar with different Have students try the following problem.
representations of triangles. For example, some
Margot has 1 red, 1 green, and 4 blue AngLegs®
students may think an acute triangle always looks
pieces. What triangles and quadrilaterals can
like an equilateral triangle or a right triangle
Margot make?
is always scalene. Allow students time to form
different triangles using AngLegs® and describe the
sides and angles to name them.
93
Geometry
Lesson 3 Plane Shapes and
Their Properties
Name
Classifying Triangles
Name of Sides or AngLegs®
Sketch
Triangle Angles Used
© hand2mind, Inc.
146 Hands-On Standards Math Mini-Lessons hand2mind.com
Geometry
Lesson 3 Plane Shapes and
Their Properties
Name
Classifying Quadrilaterals
Name of Sides and AngLegs®
Sketch
Quadrilateral Angles Used
© hand2mind, Inc.
Hands-On Standards Math Mini-Lessons hand2mind.com 147
