Students are shape detectives on the trail of flat shapes. The students pretend they are on the important case of tracking down missing flat shapes. A list of shapes with diagrams will be provided for the students. The shapes students have to find are circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, octagons, and ovals.

Each supersleuth chooses one shape or more shapes from the list and writes its name on a copy of the "Missing Shape" sheet. The student then illustrates an animated likeness of the flat shape; then he or she carefully describes the shape; and then lists three or more places where it has been found in the classroom. To complete the sheet the student signs it. The sheets will be added to student's math portfolio and checked by teacher for understanding.

Students will choose 10 shapes from a container of pattern blocks. Each student also gets a "Sorting" worksheet. They will examine all the shapes and decide on a way that they can be grouped together, either by color, points, sides, whether they role, slide, etc. They have to draw or trace the shapes on the paper in the groups that they sorted them into and then tell me why they sorted the shapes that way. When the sheets are done they will be added to student's portfolio to be marked for completeness and understanding. Students will then write an "I learned..." statement in their math journals.

Students will be given the "Shape Art" worksheet. They will have to move around the classroom looking for shaped objects. They will then put the shapes together to form a picture by tracing around them on the "Shape Art" sheet. Once they are done tracing they have to identify each shape name by writing them in a formula (sentence) that would be used to make that picture eg. one square + one circle + two triangles.. They can then color the picture. There will be a bulletin board up so they can look to it to get the names of the shapes. When they are done they can cut their picture and formula out and put it on the bulletin board.

Students will each get a geoboard. There will be instructions on the activity card that if the elastics are not used properly and only on the geoboards then the geoboards and elastics will be taken away. Students will make designs of shapes using the specified instructions below. When a student makes a shape they show their group so the others get ideas. They record the designs they like the best on the dot paper. Some designs to make: (After making a few of the designs they can explore the other shapes they can make)

• Make one point shapes
• Make two point shapes
• Make three point shapes
• Make four point shapes
• Make a shape with two sides, three sides, four sides, six sides
• Make a shape with two points in the middle of it, three points in the middle

Students are to design solids using marshmallows and toothpicks or pipe cleaners. The marshmallows are the points of the solid and the toothpicks are the edges. They can create their own solids after they try to make at least three different solids from the list below.

• Create a solid with square and rectangle faces.
• Create a solid with triangle faces
• Create a solid with circle and triangle faces
• Create a solid with triangle and square faces
• Create a solid joining two or more solids

Students get into pairs or a group of four. They take one of the "Scavenger Hunt" worksheets and take a minute to look at all of them. As a group they move about the classroom looking for objects to match the solids. They can look out a window or even picture an object not in the room that would fit one of the solids. They will record the solid by drawing it on the paper and naming it. They will have to find more than one example of each. Students also do a group assessment to evaluate how they well they worked together.

Students get into pairs, select two geoboards, and some pattern blocks. One student will make a shape on the geoboard and the other student has to make the congruent figure on his or her geoboard. Each student then records the shape on his or her own dot paper. The students switch roles after each shape.

They can also try it using the pattern blocks. One student makes a shape with the pattern blocks and the other student makes the congruent shape. Each student records his or her shape on a piece of dot paper. Students switch roles after each shape.

Students get into pairs, select two geoboards, and some pattern blocks. One student will make one side of a shape on the geoboard and the other student has to make the other side of the shape so that it is symmetrical. Each student records his or her shapes on the dot paper indicating the line of symmetry and then they switch roles.

They can also try it using the pattern blocks. One student makes one side of a shape with the pattern blocks and the other student makes the other side so the shape is symmetrical. Each student records all his or her symmetrical shapes on dot indicating the line of symmetry. Students switch roles after each shape. They make at least 5 shapes using both the geoboards and pattern blocks. Dot paper is put in student's portfolios

Students get in pairs or a group of four. Students take the tangram pieces and arrange them into one big square. They draw around the outside to show they formed it. Students then create the shape formula to name all the shapes used to make the square.

Students are asked to then create pictures like animals, objects, etc. with the shapes. Once they make a picture they trace around the outside of it to save the picture. Make a few pictures and then give them to a friend, pair, or group of students to solve the picture by filling in the picture with the 7 shapes. Outlines of shapes will be put in student's portfolio. At the end of the activity students write an "I learned..." statement about what they learned in the activity.

Students will get into groups of two, get a box, and a list of the objects that are in the box. One student will have the list and the other will be finding the object in the box. The student with the list has to describe a shape or solid to the other person. The student will describe the objects using the properties they have been learning like, the number of points, edges, faces, and types of faces; whether is symmetrical, and how many lines of symmetry. After the one student finds it they switch and the other student finds an object.