Provide students with geoboards and rubber bands. Geoboards are square plastic boards with small evenly spaced pegs. Ask the students to use the rubber bands to make shapes with various numbers of sides. Ask them if they know what shape it is. If they do not know, tell them.
Challenge the students to come up with new ways to create the shape. This will get more interesting as you move to shapes with more sides. For example, there are more options for an octagon than there are for a rectangle. Encourage creative thinking by sharing the most interesting designs with the rest of the class.
Show students three-dimensional wooden shapes and discuss the properties of each one. Discuss the number of sides as well as the number of points. Ask the students if they can think of any examples of these shapes that they see in real life.
Give each student a piece of paper with a list of the shapes that you want them to learn. The list should include both a picture of the shape and the name of the shape. Explain to the students that they are going to go on a scavenger hunt. Allow the students to walk around the classroom for about 15 minutes so they can look for items that fit the shapes on their list. When they are finished, discuss the items that they found.
Provide each student with a copy of "Shapes on the Way Home," a worksheet from illuminations. Explain that the items can be from their homes or things they see in their travels. Discuss what they have found the next day in class.