- Building a House (book)
- large square, triangle, circle, and rectangle shape cards
- pictures of houses with visible obvious shapes
- build
- rectangle
- roof
- shape
- square
- triangle
- wall
MA Standards:
Speaking and Listening: SL.PK.MA.1a Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (e.g., taking turns in talking, listening to peers, waiting to speak until another person is finished talking, asking questions and waiting for an answer, gaining the floor in appropriate ways).
Mathematics/Geometry/PK.G.MA.2 Identify various two-dimensional shapes using appropriate language.
Head Start Outcomes:
Logic and Reasoning/Reasoning and Problem Solving Classifies, compares, and contrasts objects, events, and experiences.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
Mathematics/Patterns and Relations 8 Sort, categorize, or classify objects by more than one attribute.
Mathematics/Shapes and Spatial Sense 10 Investigate and identify materials of various shapes, using appropriate language.
Talk Together: House Shapes
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
STEM Key Concepts: Different materials are useful for making different structures and different parts of structures
ELA Focus Skills: Comparing and Contrasting, Listening and Speaking, Predicting, Vocabulary
Display the large shape cards. Ask children what shapes they know. Have them look at the cards and tell you what they know about each shape.
- Then hold up the cover of Building a House. Trace the triangle roof and ask children to point to and name the matching shape card.
- Then turn to the page that reads “They put up walls.” Ask children to name the shapes. Have them explain what part of the house they think the shape is going to be when the builders are done. (rectangle wood/wall, square/window, rectangle bricks/wall)
Then draw attention to the pictures of houses and talk about the different shapes children see. Tell children they are going to go outdoors to look for shapes in houses and buildings in the neighborhood.
English Language Learners: If children have trouble identifying shapes, have them trace the shape card as you say each shape aloud. Have them repeat as they trace the card again.