GEOBOARD GEOMETRY ACTIVITIES
This post describes a Geometry Activities lapbook that I designed built around all the concepts students could learn using a geoboard and includes a free sample of the full product.
Before becoming a stay-at-home homeschooling mother, I taught middle and high school math — mostly Algebra and Geometry. The other day my kids were playing with geoboards at home, and as I watched them I realized that a large portion of any grade level Geometry course (from Kindergarten through high school) could be taught using a geoboard.
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I wanted to create a set of geometry activities that could be used by students at multiple grade and ability levels, so I designed this unit with differentiation built into every activity, so that students from Kindergarten through high school could understand and learn fundamental math concepts using a very hands-on manipulative combined with fun, creative, organized activities that go beyond a typical worksheet or textbook.
Video overview
If you’d like to see a brief video demonstration of all the “moving parts” in this lap book, you can see it here on my youtube channel. (disclaimer: This is my first video … I wrote up a script and read from it so I wouldn’t waste time or get off track – but it sounds a bit like a newbie video 0_0. Good content still though, if I do say so myself ;). Stick with me and I’ll get better!)
Full description with images
This lapbook covers several major Geometry concepts covered in grades K-9; you can use this to introduce concepts and lay a foundation for understanding Geometry in a visual, concrete way through hands-on activities and opportunities to explore and create fundamental mathematical principles. Other concepts addressed in any grade level curriculum can easily be understood within the framework presented in this Geoboard Geometry unit.
This lapbook covers the following concepts:
- Hands-on geometry activities creating shapes on a geobard
- Angles, lines, and intersections
- Circles (including degrees in a circle)
- Triangles (categorized by sides and angles)
- Quadrilaterals (including definitions and diagrams)
- Flowchart diagrams to show how different types of 3 and 4 sided shapes relate to each other
- Coordinate Geometry
- Names of polygons (from 3-10 sides)
- 0, 1, 2, and 3-d objects (including explanations of each dimension)
- Flashcards and review activities for vocabulary terms (organized by category)
Each activity in this lapbook is designed with 2 or 3 levels of differentiation so that you can use this with students at any level. You can print off different versions of each activity for students within the same classroom so that everyone is creating the same lapbook but doing the activities according to a level of difficulty that is best for them
… OR …
you can print out just the completed versions (answer keys) of each activity to create a reference guide for note-taking purposes, as a stand-alone resource in a geoboard math center, or to give to students who were absent in class.
Section 1: Vocabulary Flashcards
This unit starts with vocabulary flashcards organized by category. Each page of vocabulary terms with definitions and diagrams is followed by a page of vocab with a blank space for students to draw their own diagrams. You can choose which works best for your students.
To begin this unit, give students a geoboard, a handful of rubber bands, and a chance to play freely. Let them create shapes, pictures, patterns, etc.
This geoboard is part of the complete math manipulative set provided by the RightStart Mathematics curriculum.
Then, hand them the vocabulary cards with the definitions and diagrams. You can choose to give one card at a time, one category at a time, or the whole stack at once. Let them use the rubber bands to re-create each diagram. This hands-on experience lays the foundation for learning the terms and concepts for the entire Geoboard Geometry lapbook unit.
Once students have made each vocab term on their geoboards, you can begin the activities in this lapbook, assembling it as you go.
Tip: You can use one rubber band stretched around pegs to make a whole shape, or use a separate rubber band for each side of the shape, stretched only around the 2 pegs needed to form that side.
Section 2: Matching Vocabulary Terms with Diagrams & Names of Polygons Chart
This section includes 2 activities, each with 3 levels of differentiation to meet needs of learners across grade levels and abilities levels.
- A matching game for students to connect vocab words with diagrams (or use the version where they draw in their own diagram)
- A blank chart for students to name polygons according to the number of sides
Section 3: Circle Vocabulary Flip Book
Here students will create their own vertical flip book describing important vocabulary related to circles, using descriptions and diagrams. The book template is provided along with a complete answer key version.
Section 4: Degrees in a circle
Understanding a circle in terms of degrees from 0 to 360, with common reference angles labeled, may be a more advanced Geometry concept, but 2 diagrams here (including an answer key and a fill-in-the-blank version) give students of all ages exposure to this important concept.
Section 5: Triangle, Quadrilateral, and Dimensions Flow Charts
This section provides differentiated levels of flow chart diagrams to visually explain the vocabulary terms related to 3 and 4 sided figures and dimensions.
Again, students can simply include the completed versions of these 3 flowchart diagrams in their lapbook, or they can use a template version and fill in the details as they learn how concepts relate.
Section 6: Graphing on a Geoboard
Coordinate graphing is an integral part of both Algebra and Geometry, and it can easily be introduced using geoboards.
This section includes a full description on how to teach graphing using a geoboard, along with 4 sets of coordinate directions to create and name a given geometric shape.
Section 7: Vocabulary review – Lift-the-flaps
The page pictured here is followed by a similar page with the vocabulary terms matching each diagram. Instructions in the lapbook describe how to combine the two pages to make one complete lift-the-flap review page of the important vocab terms in this unit organized by category.
For further review and continuous practice throughout the year …
At the end of the unit, once the lapbook is complete, you can print off the blank versions of the vocabulary flashcards and give students the chance to re-create each diagram from memory. Or, you can use these as worksheets or exit tickets to test understanding.
You could also print these cards and keep them in math centers next to the geoboards to have students test their knowledge as they try to recreate each term using rubber bands on the geoboard.
The Lapbook
UPDATE: This lapbook is currently on sale – from 2/27 – 3/3/2019, the complete lapbook unit will be only $3.80.
I recently finished the lapbook unit and posted it in my store. You can see the product here:
FREE set of vocabulary flashcards
Here is a link to my (updated) set of free vocab cards as a sample of the full product. It is an 18 page pdf file with a complete set of vocab terms with diagrams broken up by category, and a corresponding set of terms without diagrams for older kids to use. Free Vocab Cards: Geoboard Geometry vocab cards
More Free Stuff?
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You may also be interested in these hands-on, interactive learning activities:
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- Math with Dice (PreK – 1)
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You may be interested in the following products from my store (this sampling of products spans preK – high school):
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