Shaping Mathematical Thinking

Students in Grades 1 through 4 are exploring Math through a Shape and Space Concept-Based Inquiry unit, building an understanding of geometry through investigation rather than beginning with definitions to memorize. Using materials such as pattern blocks and tangrams, students sort, compare, combine, rotate, and decompose shapes; test ideas; explain what they notice; and develop increasingly precise mathematical language along the way.

This work builds spatial reasoning—the ability to visualize, manipulate, and understand objects and their relationships. It is a skill students use not only in mathematics, but also when reading maps, designing and building, creating art, coding, playing sports, and studying science and engineering.

The goal is bigger than knowing the names and properties of shapes. Students are learning to notice relationships, visualize possibilities, communicate their reasoning, and use what they discover to solve problems.