Have you ever asked the question, “How do I use Number Talks with Geometry”? It’s something that teachers can find daunting in the classroom, but it’s something that has fully transformed how I teach geometry. I’m going to tell you why it is important to use Number Talks with geometry with 5 quick and easy geometry activities, and, I will show you how to use them in the classroom.
Now before I get into the nitty-gritty of Number Talks, if you are looking for games to try using for numbers to ten, I have just the thing for you! Make centers fun with these free games sent directly to your inbox! Just a teacher helping out another teacher! Click here to get started and make your math centers more engaging and fun!
Kindergarten Geometry
Geometry can be a fun unit because it requires a lot of hands-on activities which are perfect for primary grades! Teaching 2D and 3D shapes in kindergarten can be fun and engaging. Students can sort shapes by attributes, they can find shapes in the real world, identify vertices, positional words, the list goes on! I find that my students love geometry because it’s so interactive for students and they have that concrete example that makes geometry so accessible.
Number Talks with 2D and 3D
Having Number Talks with a geometry spin can be tricky. I still do number talks with my students and I focus on geometry when I am teaching this unit. So I am going to share with you ideas that you can use to incorporate your number talks lesson into your everyday geometry unit.
Quick Images for Geometry
Quick images are something that I usually do with dot images or tens frames. It can also be used for geometry! I start this activity very simply. First, I start with just one shape on a card and then I show that card to my students for 2 seconds, then I ask my students to identify the shape. I also have students explain how they knew it was that shape (for example, it was a triangle because it had 3 sides).
After I use one shape, I then move on to having multiple shapes on a card (for example a triangle and a square) and have students identify the shapes they saw and then how they knew it was those shapes. It’s a great way to practice identifying 2D and 3D shapes.
Count the Sides Geometry
Another Number Talks activity that I like to incorporate into my geometry lesson is counting the sides. With this activity, I start by showing my students cards with a shape on the card, for example, a triangle. I ask the students to tell me how many sides, vertices, faces, etc. they saw on the card. They explain how they got their answer as well.
Then I move on to showing students 2 shapes on a card, for example, a triangle and a square. I ask the students to tell me how many sides, vertices, faces, etc. they see. Then they have to tell me how they knew the answer.
I continue to 3 shapes on a card, and so on depending on the needs of my class. Counting the sides focuses on reviewing geometry vocabulary and also works on addition and umber sense skills as well.
Real-Life Images Geometry
One skill students need to be able to master with geometry is to see shapes in real life. With this skill, I like to take pictures around the school, and even throughout the school. I show my students these pictures and ask them to talk about the shapes they see in real-world pictures.
When they describe the shape that they see, I write it down on a piece of chart paper so others can see what shapes have been found in our pictures. When we are finished with identifying real-life shapes, I then ask students how many shapes we saw altogether, for example, we saw 3 triangles and 2 cones. After we identify the shapes, and how many of each shape we saw, we add up the total number of shapes we saw in the picture. Again, I am working with addition skills to keep those skills sharp while we are working on this unit.
Same and Different Geometry
I love using this activity when I am comparing 2D and 3D shapes. I will show students 2 shapes, for example, a cube and a square. I will ask students to share what is the same and what is different about these shapes. Students share their thoughts and they lead to some great discussions! I encourage students to use the vocabulary that we have learned throughout the unit in their descriptions (for example, the cube has faces and the square doesn’t).
Positional Words for Geometry
The final activity that I use during my number talks lesson in geometry is the skill that involves positional words. With this activity, I start with 4 shapes (2D or 3D) on the board and I tell the students I have a shape in my head. They have to guess the shape that I am thinking of. When they guess a shape I might say, “That’s not the one I am thinking of. It is (next to, under, etc)”. Then they can guess the shape I am thinking of. Then I let the students choose the shape and have other students guess.
Another way I have used positional words in geometry is by going back to those real-life pictures. I have students look for real-world shapes and describe where they are in the photo.
This activity is perfect for not only teaching positional words but also reviewing shapes with students as well.
Number Talks with 2D and 3D Shapes
Geometry can be a fun unit because it requires a lot of hands-on activities which are perfect for our primary grades! Teaching 2D and 3D shapes in kindergarten is fun and engaging. Students can sort shapes by attributes, they can find shapes in the real world, identify vertices, positional words, the list goes on!
Number Talks can be used with geometry easily. You can do quick images, counting the sides of shapes, using real-life images to identify shapes, comparing what is the same and different with 2D and 3D shapes, and practice positional words with shapes. The list goes on!
Leave a comment below with activities that you like to use with Number Talks and geometry!
