Shapes poster
Learning outcomes
- Students name and identify the four labelled shapes on the Shapes poster: circle, triangle, rectangle and square.
- Students describe observable features of familiar 2D shapes, including curved or straight sides, number of sides and corners.
- Students use shape and position words to talk about where shapes appear in the treehouse image.
Purpose of learning experience
- Students use the Shapes poster as a shared visual text to build vocabulary for familiar 2D shapes.
- Students connect shape names to real features in an image, noticing how shapes can be used to make windows and parts of a picture.
- Students practise describing, comparing, drawing and making shapes using oral language, gesture and hands-on materials.
Printable: Shapes
Making connections
The ability to describe shapes is a fundamental part of numeracy. Students need to understand the differences between shapes and how to describe them. This learning connects with mathematics through identifying, describing, sorting, representing and comparing shapes.
Early Years Learning Framework
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.
Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work
Lesson activity
‘Shape windows’
Plan/implement
Model play.
Look at the Shapes poster together and point to one labelled window shape. Name the shape, e.g. ‘circle’.
Use your finger to trace the shape in the air or on the poster while saying the shape word.
Model making the shape with playdough or drawing the shape in a sand tray.
Lay the poster on the floor and place your playdough or sand shape near the matching shape on the poster.
Encourage children to choose a shape from the poster, make or draw it with playdough or sand, and place it near the matching shape on the poster.
Observations / assessment opportunities
What word does the child use when they point to or choose a shape?
Can the child match their sand drawing or playdough shape to the shape on the poster?
Does the child use gesture, tracing with their finger or words to show the difference between straight and curved lines?
Language focus
rectangle, triangle, circle, square
This is a <shape>.
I can see a <shape>.
It is round/straight.
It has corners.
Community languages
Pair children with peers who share the same home language to increase confidence.
Encourage students to talk about their sand drawings or playdough shapes using their preferred language.
Foundation Australian Curriculum alignment
Mathematics: AC9MFSP01
sort, name and create familiar shapes; recognise and describe familiar shapes within objects in the environment, giving reasons
Lesson activity
‘Guess the shape’
Plan/implement
Students sit where they can see the Shapes poster.
Model the activity. Choose one shape on the poster (without naming it out loud or pointing to it). Describe it using visible features, e.g. ‘I am thinking of the window with three sides.’
Students put up their hand if they think they know the shape.
Select a student to name the shape and point to it on the poster.
Point to the correct shape and respond with a complete sentence, e.g. ‘Yes, it is a triangle.’ or ‘It is not the rectangle, it is the square.’
Students take turns choose a shape from the poster and giving a clue for the rest of the class to guess.
Observations / assessment opportunities
Can the student name the circle, triangle, rectangle and square?
Can the student use visible features such as number of sides, corners, straight or curved to identify the shape?
Does the student use a Standard Australian English sentence to answer or to give a clue?
Resources needed
Printable Shapes poster (print A3)
Language focus
rectangle, triangle, circle, square
I am thinking of the window/shape with <feature>.
It has <number> sides/corners.
It is not a <suggested shape>, it is a <new shape>.
Community languages
Before beginning the guessing game, point to each labelled shape on the poster and ask students to name the shape in their home language/s.
Year 1 Australian Curriculum alignment
Mathematics: AC9M1SP01
make, compare and classify familiar shapes; recognise familiar shapes and objects in the environment, identifying the similarities and differences between them
Lesson activity
‘Shape hunt’
Plan/implement
Show the Shapes poster to students.
Choose a shape and model using position words to describe where it is in the treehouse, e.g. ‘The rectangle is at the top of the treehouse.’, ‘The circle is below the rectangle.’
Ask students to find the labelled circle, triangle, rectangle and square and use position words to describe where they are.
Ask students to compare two shapes from the poster, e.g. the square window and the rectangle window. Students explain what is the same and what is different about the shapes, using shape language, e.g. ‘A square and a rectangle both have four corners.
The rectangle is longer. The square has sides that look the same length.’
Next, draw a treehouse trunk on the board. Ask students what shape windows should go in it, and where they should go.
Students use shape words and position words to suggest the windows, e.g. ‘a circle window at the top’.
Ask students to tell you the features of the shapes, to help you draw them, e.g. ‘A circle is round.’
Observations / assessment opportunities
Can the student identify and label familiar 2D shapes on the poster?
Can the student compare shapes by referring to number of sides, corners, a curved edge or straight sides?
Can the student use position words to describe where a shape appears in the image?
Language focus
rectangle, triangle, circle, square
A <shape> is/has <description of feature>.
A <shape> and <shape> both have <description of feature>.
Community languages
Find out the community words for the shapes where appropriate, and include them on a shared class shape word wall.
Year 2 Australian Curriculum alignment
Mathematics: AC9M2SP01
recognise, compare and classify shapes, referencing the number of sides and using spatial terms such as “opposite”, “parallel”, “curved” and “straight”
Lesson activity
‘Sorting shapes’
Plan/implement
Printable Shapes poster (print A3, one for each pair or small group)Students work in pairs or small groups.
Ask students to write the shapes they can see in the poster on sticky notes or small cards, using one note or card for every shape. Students can list the labelled rectangle, triangle, circle and square, and they can also list any familiar shapes they identify within the windows, e.g. a smaller triangle within the triangle window, small squares within the square window.
Students sort their sticky notes/shape cards into groups. Ask them to choose their own sorting rule, such as number of sides, number of corners, a curved edge or straight sides. Ask students to explain the sorting rule they used.
Students create a table showing the shapes in their groups, and write one description for each group.
Students use the Shapes poster as inspiration to design a new treehouse window divided into panes of two or more familiar shapes, e.g. a rectangle window divided into three smaller triangle panes.
Observations / assessment opportunities
Does the student sort shapes using observable mathematical features?
Can the student explain the sorting rule they used?
Can the student represent and describe shapes accurately in a table?
Language focus
rectangle, triangle, circle, square
I sorted the shapes by <feature>.
These shapes have <number> sides/corners.
This shape has a curved edge.
This shape has straight sides.
The <shape> is similar to/different from the <shape> because <reason>.
Community languages
Ask students to include community or home language words for shapes, sides and corners where they can.
Year 3 Australian Curriculum alignment
Mathematics: AC9M3SP02
interpret and create two-dimensional representations of familiar environments, locating key landmarks and objects relative to each other
Lesson activity
‘Design a shape treehouse’
Plan/implement
Show students the Shapes poster. Model a description of the shapes used in one of the windows, e.g. ‘The top window is a rectangle divided into smaller rectangles.’
Using grid paper or plain paper, students design their own treehouse with shape windows divided into smaller shapes by the window panes. Ask students to use at least four shapes, including a circle, triangle, rectangle and square.
Students label each shape and annotate at least two features, such as side length, number of corners, number of sides, orientation or symmetry where appropriate.
Students write or orally present a short explanation of how the shapes have been used in their design.
Students can compare their design with the Shapes poster and explain which shapes they kept, changed, rotated, resized or combined.
Observations / assessment opportunities
Does the student accurately identify and describe the 2D shapes used in the poster and their own design?
Does the student use mathematical language to explain features, position, orientation or changes to 2D shapes?
Can the student compare two designs and explain what is similar and different?
Language focus
I used a <shape> for <part of design>.
The <shape> has <number> sides/corners.
The <shape> is turned/flipped/resized.
My design is similar to/different from the poster because <reason>.
Community languages
Students can orally present their shape treehouse design in English and use gestures and community language words to highlight important information.
Discuss ways community language words can be used alongside English words for emphasis.