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3-D Objects/2-D Shapes

Strand: Shape and Space (3-D Objects and 2-D Shapes)
Outcomes: 2, 3, 4

Step 4: Assess Student Learning

Guiding Questions

• Look back at what you determined as acceptable evidence in Step 2.
• What are the most appropriate methods and activities for assessing student learning?
• How will I align my assessment strategies with my teaching strategies?

Sample Assessment Tasks

In addition to ongoing assessment throughout the lessons, consider the following sample activities to evaluate students' learning at key milestones. Suggestions are given for assessing all students as a class or in groups, individual students in need of further evaluation and individual or groups of students in a variety of contexts.

A. Whole Class/Group Assessment

Note: Performance-based assessment tasks are under development.

1. Give each student, or pair of students, a collection of pattern blocks. Say to them, "I am going to build a design with pattern blocks on the overhead projector. I want you to use your pattern blocks to build a design just like mine." Observe their construction.
2. Give each student, or pair of students, a collection of pattern blocks. Say to them, "I want you to build the following shape with your pattern blocks. Place a red trapezoid on your desk. On top of the trapezoid place a green triangle. On the left place a blue rhombus and on the right place another blue rhombus." Observe their construction.

B. One-on-One Assessment

Assessment activities can be used with individual students, especially students who may be having difficulty with the outcome.

1. Show the student a drawing that has five triangles in one set and five or six shapes, including rectangles, in another set. Pointing to the set of triangles, ask, "What is the same about all the shapes in this set? How are these shapes different from the shapes in this other set (pointing to the set of different shapes)?"
2. Give the student a set of 3-D objects, including a cone, pyramid, rectangular prism, triangular prism and sphere. Ask him or her to separate the objects into two groups. He or she can then explain why he or she decided to sort them that way.

C. Applied Learning

Provide opportunities for students to use their geometry strategies in a practical situation and notice whether or not the strategies transfer.

1. Create a book, using photographs taken on a mathematics trail. Using either a video camera or a digital camera, take students for a walk around the school neighbourhood, asking them to look for 2-D shapes and 3-D objects. Record the items they identify (they may be able to use the camera themselves). Back in the classroom, make a geometry book, using the pictures taken and adding to it other photographs or illustrations students can collect at home. In the book, have students sort the photographs by 2-D shape or 3-D object and label them.
2. Have students look through magazines and newspapers to find examples of 2-D shapes and 3-D objects. Posters can be made from their collections or photographs can be added to the large class mathematics book.
3. Have students create labels of 3-D objects around the classroom and fix the labels to the objects.
4. Explore Web sites, such as those provided by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics at http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activities.aspx?grade=1, where you can find interactive software for students to explore composing shapes.

Related Resources

• Assessment in the Mathematics