Monday, May 26, 2014

Subitizing Geometry Style

We've been doing something in geometry these days that reminds me a bit of subitizing.  I learned about it in a math professional development class from Boise State University.  It's called Quick Images.  You show a composite shape to the kiddos for a few seconds, then remove the picture to see what they can create from memory.  It is definitely a challenge, but it stretches their knowledge of shapes, their attributes, and the space the shapes occupy.  The composite shapes increase in difficulty like you see below.


from color

 to black and white

 to only the outline  

We did two or three of each type before moving on to the next one.  Oh, and we always talked about what they noticed as well.  

I do not have permission to share the slides of the shapes from BSU, but I'm sure you could make your own if you think this activity would benefit your students.  

Pin It!

8 comments:

  1. I have heard of a similar activity with words. You show the word for a few seconds on a Powerpoint slide and then click to a blank screen. Students learn to remember what they saw and to remember what the word said. I think both are great activities!
    Lori
    Conversations in Literacy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lori, holding something in their memory is certainly a skill that applies to all kinds of subject matter, huh?

      Delete
  2. Fun idea - especially at the end of the year. Did most of your kids do pretty good at this? Sara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sara, I'd say most did okay with the easiest ones, but the harder pictures stretched many of them.

      Delete