Hi,
I am a student teacher and I wanted to teach a grade 5 class a lesson on tessallations; however, I am not sure what group activity to incorporate into my lesson to help them better understand what tessallations are. For my motivation or focusing event, I was going to read the book, A cloak for the dreamer" its a good book that will introduce the concept to the students. DO you have any idea what kinds of activities I could do with the students to help them understand the concept of tessallations?
you should read them the book, then let them do a craft to make like a tile from construction paper. maybe something like that.
Try these sites for ideas.
http://www.tessellations.org/diy-basic1.htm
http://mathforum.org/sum95/suzanne/tess.intro.html
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/tessellate/?version=1.6.0_05&browser=MSIE&vendor=Sun_Microsystems_Inc.
http://www.coolmath.com/tesspag1.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/16661/
Of course! Teaching tessellations can be a fun and engaging activity for grade 5 students. Here is a group activity you can incorporate into your lesson to help them better understand the concept:
Activity: Tessellation Tile Design
Materials needed:
- Various geometric shapes cut out of paper/cardstock (e.g., squares, triangles, pentagons, hexagons)
- Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
- Large sheets of paper or poster boards
Instructions:
1. Begin by introducing the concept of tessellations using the book "A Cloak for the Dreamer" as your motivation or focusing event. Make sure to define tessellations as patterns that repeat without gaps or overlaps.
2. Show students some examples of tessellations, such as images of tessellating animals or tiles, to give them a visual understanding of what they are going to create.
3. Divide the students into small groups (3-4 students per group) and distribute the various geometric shapes to each group.
4. Explain that their task is to create a tessellation pattern using the given shapes. They should aim to design a pattern that repeats without any gaps or overlaps.
5. Encourage students to experiment with different arrangements of the shapes, overlapping and aligning them to see which combinations create a tessellation.
6. Once the students have completed their tessellation patterns, have them trace the shapes onto the large sheets of paper or poster boards using pencils.
7. Next, instruct the students to color their tessellation patterns using colored pencils, markers, or crayons. Emphasize the importance of using contrasting colors for clarity and making sure the same colors align where the shapes repeat.
8. Finally, have each group present their tessellation designs to the class and explain how their pattern repeats without any gaps or overlaps.
9. Encourage the class to make observations about the different tessellation patterns that were created, such as recognizing the different shapes used, spotting rotations or reflections, or noting the complexity of the patterns.
By engaging students in this hands-on activity, they will have the opportunity to explore and discover the principles of tessellations while working collaboratively with their peers.