Math Is Fun Forum

2Bhonest

Member

Registered: 2011-11-28

Posts: 9

HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

My son came home with a worksheet that has a square, diamond, hexagon, triangle and rectangle.

The question is:  Sort these shapes into 2 groups. Tell your sorting rule.

It has  _________________         ____________________    Then pictures of the shapes. square, diamond, hexagon, triangle and rectangle

My son is in the 1st grade!!! Wow I have a long way to go!!! I am so glad I found this forum! Looks like I will be here for many more years to come!!
Can anyone help please

Last edited by 2Bhonest (2011-11-28 12:18:30)

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,627

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

hi 2Bhonest,

There's been a long discussion about a similar sheet going on in the forum for years.

I think the purpose of the homework is just to get the child to think about classification rules and find ones that fit.  There may well be many answers.

eg  the 'quadrilaterals' for one set and the 'non-quadrilaterals' for the other ( quadrilaterals have four sides )

eg.  'Have all sides equal'  and 'don't have all sides equal'

eg. 'Have rotational symmetry' and 'don't have rotational symmetry'

eg. 'the word has an equal  number of vowels and consonants' and 'the word has more consonants than vowels'

Or maybe you could be artistic and colour some red and some blue

Just make sure your rules work.  I'd better stop there and post this.

Bob

Last edited by Bob (2011-11-28 12:33:24)

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

2Bhonest

Member

Registered: 2011-11-28

Posts: 9

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

Thanks Bob... I just dont know what to put since he is in the first grade, all of that sounds a little to steep for a first grader. Thank you for your input, if you can think of anything simpler for him anything will be greatly appreciated!!

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,627

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

hi

I understand what you're saying.  Ask him what shapes he can group together with a common rule.  I cannot see the shapes so I don't know if any have no lines of symmetry.  If so, maybe maybe hold up the sheet in front of a mirror and ask which ones now look different.

I'd probably have a better idea if I saw the shapes and had him sitting next to me to get a measure of what he could do.  Tricky across the internet.  I'm in the UK so it's already 'tomorrow' here.  Is he awake and next to you?

Oh dear!  You've gone off-line.  In that case I'm off to bed.  Good luck with the sheet.   

Bob

Last edited by Bob (2011-11-28 12:44:47)

---

Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

2Bhonest

Member

Registered: 2011-11-28

Posts: 9

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

i am still here and so is he.... There is a purple diamond, a blue square, a orange hexagone, a green tirangle and a pink rectangle. thats pretty much it! Any help Bob would be great!!!

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,627

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

hi

Couldn't sleep without giving you a decent answer .

Here's my best and final go at it.

He counts how many sides and puts the number inside the shape.

He draws a wiggly line around all the shapes that have four sides.  Might have to be very wiggly!

The sorting rule is 'have four sides'   or 'don't have four sides'

How does that sound?

Bob

---

Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

2Bhonest

Member

Registered: 2011-11-28

Posts: 9

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

Awesome BOB!!! Your the Best!! Thanks a Million!!!

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

Hi;

Usually when teachers here do that the shapes have clearly defined differences. For instance, a couple of triangles and a couple of squares and rectangles. Easy to sort that by a rule.

That teacher seems to have lost sight of that principle if the question requires bob bundy to lose sleep. I am looking through their examples and this is one of them:

Display two different sets of small two dimensional shapes for example 8 squares and 8 circles. Now that is more like it!

Have her read:

Hands-on-Mathematics: Grade 1

by Jennifer Lawson, Joni Bowman, Cathy Haggarty

---

In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

2Bhonest

Member

Registered: 2011-11-28

Posts: 9

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

I agree, This was only one of many questions that was on the worksheet. The others were alot eaiser than that. They always throw a hard one in there. Hard for me anyway, I did not do very well in math. All other subjects great, but not math!!! Thanks to you all!

Last edited by 2Bhonest (2011-11-28 13:17:38)

bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

They always throw a hard one in there.

Yes, I know. Maybe they do not know the answer and wanted help without asking for it.

Oh and welcome to the forum.

---

In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,627

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

hi 2Bhonest and bobbym

My best answer shown below.

But maybe we are taking the question too seriously, so I offer an alternative answer to give him a laugh.

Bob 

Last edited by Bob (2011-11-28 20:37:43)

---

Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob

2Bhonest

Member

Registered: 2011-11-28

Posts: 9

Re: HELP!!! Son's Geometry work sheet.....

Thanks to all for your help!
I know I will be talking to you all soon!!