Shape Sorter Activity CCSS.Math.Content.6.SP.B.5.b

By: Nick Spencer, Sam Marcoe, Grayson Windle, Elizabeth Englehart

With the Shape Sorter activity, which can be located at this website, we enable our students to work with several different concepts such as venn diagrams and geometric patterns.  The students work with a venn diagram in which they can set up two “rules” for each side of the diagram, and then are tasked with organizing the shapes accordingly to the rules.  If a shape meets both standards set by the rules, the student can place the shape in the center of the venn diagram, and if the shape doesn’t meet the criteria for either rule the student can leave it outside of the venn diagram.

In the figure above, my group of teacher candidates created our own venn diagram with these two rules:

  1. The figure has at least one line of symmetry (left side)
  2. The figure has rotational symmetry (right side)

In the beginning of this activity, we have several different shapes and begin organizing them in the matching part of the venn diagram based on their geometric characteristics.  The figures on the left side of the diagram have at least one line of symmetry while the figures on the right have rotational symmetry.  The figures in the center have both characteristics set by our rules, while the figures on the outside have neither lines of symmetry nor rotational symmetry.

This online educational activity allows the students to further develop conceptual understanding, and practice procedural fluency for geometric shapes and laws, as well as develop understanding for venn diagrams.  By allowing students to combine geometry with venn diagrams, students can open their perspective that venn diagrams can be utilized in various and unique situations.