OuiSi · Math

Shapes everywhere

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Grades K–2 Teaching 25 min Plus 2 to set out, 2 to clear Class any size Set any Space children move around the room

set out 2′ Name what you know 5′ Find them in the pictures 8′ Take it off the card 9′ Close 3′ clear 2′

Goal: Children find named shapes in photographs where nobody drew them, then carry a shape off the card and find it again in the room.
Materials: One OuiSi Photo-Card set, about six cards per pair.

K: Three shapes — circle, square, triangle. Stop after the room hunt — about 22 min
Grade 1: Add rectangle and oval, and look for shapes made by shadows — the full 25 min
Grade 2: All five, plus shapes made by the gap between things — the full 25 min

1 · Name what you know

5 min

Quick round, whole class, no cards out yet.

Name a shape. Another. Another.

Draw each one on the board as it is named, small, in a row. Keep the list to three for K and five for grade 2.

The drawings matter more than the words at this age. A child who cannot say rectangle can point at one.

2 · Find them in the pictures

8 min

Pairs, about six cards face up.

Find every shape from the board that you can see in these cards. Put your finger on it so your partner sees it too.

After a few minutes, one step further.

Now find a shape that nobody drew. A shape made by a shadow, or by the space between two things.

A painted circle is easy. A circle made by the gap between three stones is the real thing, and even five-year-olds find them once the idea is named.

3 · Take it off the card

9 min

Pairs keep one card and get out of their seats. Say the boundary before anyone stands.

Find something in this room with the same shape as something on your card. Stand next to it.

Walk the room. Each pair holds their card up beside what they found.

Say it. Both of these are ______.

This is where the idea lands. A shape is not something stuck in a picture — it is something you can carry to a new place and still use.

4 · Close

3 min

What shape is in this room more than any other?

Watch for

Only finding drawn shapes. The second half of step two is the lesson. If a pair has only found painted circles, point at a shadow on your own card and say nothing else.
Nearly-shapes. A stone is roughly round but it is not a circle. Worth one sentence — real things are almost shapes, and almost is useful.
Step three becoming chaos. Give the boundary before they stand up. This room only, and stay where you can be seen.
Too many shapes on the board. Three is plenty for K. Seven makes the hunt a reading task.

Adapt

K — three shapes, and the room hunt done as a whole class rather than in pairs.
Grade 2 — add how many sides and corners each shape has, and check on the cards.
Multilingual learners — the sketch beside each shape name on the board carries the whole lesson. Pointing is a full answer.
Motor needs — step three can be done from a seat by naming what they can see rather than walking to it.
Autistic children — a strict answer about what is and is not a circle is a good answer. Hold the line with them rather than loosening it.
Outdoors — works on a walk, with the cards in a pocket.

Curriculum links. Naming known shapes from memory · Finding shapes in photographs where nobody drew them · Recognizing shapes made by shadow or by the space between things · Carrying a shape from an image into the room.
Standard codes vary by state and district — these are the skills exercised, for you to map to your own.

For grades 3–5 see Patterns and rules, which moves from naming shapes to finding where a pattern breaks.
Screen-free. No codes and no devices. Works with any OuiSi Photo-Card set.