Illuminations: Paper Quilts

Paper Quilts

Describing Designs

Students create designs and describe them to a classmate, using fractional and geometric terms. It provides a context for using the following vocabulary terms: horizontal, vertical, square, rectangle, triangle, diagonal, one-half, and one-fourth.

Learning Objectives
 
Students will:
  • practice folding a square into two or four equal parts
  • use geometric and fractional terms to name the parts
  • follow directions to color parts of a square to make a design

Materials
 
Quilt-Related Book, from Paper Quilts Bibliography
White, 3-Inch Squares
Crayons

Instructional Plan

You may wish to choose another of the quilt-related books listed in the Paper Quilts Bibliography, such as The Seasons Sewn, to read to the children. Ask the students to name squares, rectangles and triangles as you display the figures on the chalkboard, overhead or on a table.

Then review the terms "one-half" and "one-fourth" as you show parts of a 3" square cut into congruent pieces. Now give each student a white 3-inch square of paper and some crayons. You may wish to use the template.

Three-inch Squares Quilt Block Template.

Ask students to fold the square into two or four equal parts and color the sections to make a design. You may wish to demonstrate with a design you have made.

Then assign partners and give each child another white 3" square. Seat the partners back to back so they are unable to see each other’s design. Have students take turns describing their design so the other child can make one just like it. Each child should have a turn to describe and a turn to follow directions. Ask them to compare the designs they created from their partner's descriptions with the design their partner made.

When the pairs have finished, call them together to discuss what they did, including the elements that were easy and those that were challenging. Encourage them to use geometric and fractional vocabulary as they describe their designs. Vocabulary terms should include:

  • horizontal
  • vertical
  • square
  • rectangle
  • triangle
  • diagonal
  • one-half
  • one-fourth

Then have students reflect on how they could tell that the two designs were the same. You may wish to have them record their designs, and descriptions of them, on a piece of paper.

Questions for Students
 

What type of folds did you make?

What parts were created with the folds? How many parts were created with each number of folds?

Were any of the shapes you made squares? Rectangles? Triangles?

Were all the parts equal? How could you tell?

Did you fold you square into 4 parts? 2 parts? What are the parts called?

What did you do to check that the designs were the same?

Did your design have a lot of one color? More than 1/4? More than 1/2?

Assessment Options
 
  1. At this stage of the unit, it is important for students to know:
    • the names of the shapes
    • when shapes are equal parts of a whole
    • the fractional names one-half and one-fourth and use them correctly
  2. The guiding questions suggest ways to help students focus on the mathematics. You may want to add others that conversations with the students suggest.
  3. Collect students' designs and written reflections.

Extensions
 
  1. You may display a collection of student’s designs and ask students to describe in writing a design they think is especially interesting and tell why. This activity could address required curriculum goals and objectives such as descriptive writing, critical thinking, and reasoning and proof.

Teacher Reflection
 
  • Which students used the vocabulary correctly in their descriptions?
  • What extension activities would be appropriate for those students?
  • Which students had trouble understanding the vocabulary when they were creating a design described to them? What instructional experiences do they need next?
  • Do any of the mathematical terms need clarification?
  • What adjustments would you make the next time you teach this lesson?

NCTM Standards and Expectations
 
Geometry 3-5
  1. Identify, compare, and analyze attributes of two- and three-dimensional shapes and develop vocabulary to describe the attributes.
Number & Operations 3-5
  1. Develop understanding of fractions as parts of unit wholes, as parts of a collection, as locations on number lines, and as divisions of whole numbers.
  2. Recognize and generate equivalent forms of commonly used fractions, decimals, and percents.
  
1 period   

NCTM Resources

The Wonderful World of Math: An Annotated List of Children's Books

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Thinkfinity Verizon Foundation
More and Better Mathematics for All Students
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