Designed by

Christy Knauff, knauffc@shawnee.edu

Kristen Jones, jonesmk13@hotmail.com

Gail Pruitt, jacgrp@earthlink.net

Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Teachers Page

Tangrams are puzzles made with seven geometrical pieces – five triangles (two small, one medium-sized, and two large), a rhomboid (parallelogram) and a square. They are all cut from one large square. Tangrams came to us from China. We are not sure who discovered them or how they got their name. According to one legend, the tangram puzzles were discovered by Tan. He was a Chinese scholar, whose prize was a square ceramic tile. One fateful day, Tan accidentally dropped the tile and it broke into the seven geometric pieces.

Would you like to play a tangram puzzle? Then you can create your own tangram puzzle and write a story about it.

Students will gain an understanding of geometric shapes and how they can be combined to create a new shape. After reading the book Grandfather Tang’s Story by Ann Tompert, students will complete the following activities.

Play with a tangram puzzle online

Complete a worksheet about the tangram set

Make a tangram animal puzzle

Write a story about the tangram you created

Process

1) Get to know the tangram pieces by playing the tangram puzzle online. Click on either of the two links to play a tangram puzzle. Online Puzzle or Online Puzzle 2

2) Cut out your own set of tangrams and answer questions on a worksheet about your tangrams. Click here for the tangram Math worksheet.

3) Now that you have your own set of tangrams create a tangram puzzle of an animal.

4) Create a tangram picture by pasting it onto construction paper. Draw scenery around your animal.

5) Write a short story about your tangram puzzle. Be sure to give it a title.

Evaluation

Story Writing: Webquest, story

Teacher name: Ms. Knauff, Ms. Kristen, and Ms. Pruitt

Student Name ___________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Focus on Assigned Topic	The entire story is related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand much more about the topic.	Most of the story is related to the assigned topic. The story wanders off at one point, but the reader can still learn something about the topic.	Some of the story is related to the assigned topic, but a reader does not learn much about the topic.	No attempt has been made to relate the story to the assigned topic.
Creativity	The story contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination.	The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination.	The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use his imagination.	There is little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
Neatness	The final draft of the story is readable, clean, neat and attractive. It is free of erasures and crossed-out words. It looks like the author took great pride in it.	The final draft of the story is readable, neat and attractive. It may have one or two erasures, but they are not distracting. It looks like the author took some pride in it.	The final draft of the story is readable and some of the pages are attractive. It looks like parts of it might have been done in a hurry.	The final draft is not neat or attractive. It looks like the student just wanted to get it done and didn't care what it looked like.

Math - Problem Solving: webquest tangrams

Teacher name: Ms. Knauff, Ms. Kristen, and Ms. Pruitt

Student Name ___________________

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Use of Manipulative	Student always listens and follows directions and only uses manipulative as instructed.	Student typically listens and follows directions and uses manipulative as instructed most of the time.	Student sometimes listens and follows directions and uses manipulative appropriately when reminded.	Student rarely listens and often "plays" with the manipulative instead of using them as instructed.
Diagrams and Sketches	Diagrams and/or sketches are clear and greatly add to the reader's understanding of the procedure(s).	Diagrams and/or sketches are clear and easy to understand.	Diagrams and/or sketches are somewhat difficult to understand.	Diagrams and/or sketches are difficult to understand or are not used.
Completion	All problems are completed.	All but 1 of the problems is completed.	All but 2 of the problems are completed.	Several of the problems are not completed.

Conclusion

What have we learned about Tangrams? Can you name all of the shapes of the pieces? Now that you are familiar with the tangram puzzle you can create or solve many other puzzles such as houses, boats, and birds. Can you create the letters in your name using all seven pieces for each letter?

Teachers Page

Geometry and Spatial Sense Standard

Characteristics and Properties

Spatial Relationships

Transformations and Symmetry

1. Identify, describe, compare and sort three-dimensional objects (i.e., cubes, spheres, prisms, cones, cylinders and pyramids) according to the shape of the faces or the number of faces, edges or vertices.

2. Predict what new shapes will be formed by combining or cutting apart existing shapes.

3. Recognize two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional objects from different positions.

4. Identify and determine whether two-dimensional shapes are congruent (same shape and size) or similar (same shape different size) by copying or using superposition (lay one thing on top of another).

5. Create and identify two-dimensional figures with line symmetry; e.g., what letter shapes, logos, polygons are symmetrical?