# Build with shapes

Describe, sort, and compose shapes by attributes.

## Try it

1. Turn a shape. What stays the same?
2. Build a picture with pieces.
3. Describe it so a friend can build it.

Use the shape pieces. Turn a triangle. Tell what stayed the same. Build a picture from shapes and describe it so a partner can build it. Sort the pieces by a rule you can explain.

## Your materials

[Open the pupil workbook PDF](/files/c385c4cae385f0f332fd1c00d8e3dba4e2a5838fae4774b70df25e42e950768e). Use pages **16, 46**.

Cut-apart shape pieces and build page; adult prepares pieces if needed.

## Teacher lesson plan

### Learning goal

Describe, sort, and compose shapes by attributes.

### Before teaching

Can notice and communicate a visible feature.

### Model

Rotate a triangle and explain that its orientation changed while its straight sides and corners did not. Compare a triangle, square, rectangle, and circle. Explain that a square is a special rectangle with equal sides.

### Guide, then apply

Sort by an explicit property, build a new figure from pieces, and ask a partner to reproduce it from a description. Use different sizes and orientations. Distinguish a flat shape drawing from a solid object.

### Interpret the response

A triangle keeps three straight sides when rotated. Accept justified alternative sorts. If the child names by orientation or familiar object only, compare boundary features directly.

### Support

Offer large or tactile pieces, allow pointing, and model spatial words while acting them out.

### Extend when ready

Find different ways to compose the same outline and explain how the parts fit. Compare classroom solid objects by their surfaces and ability to roll or stack.

### Fresh check

Show a long thin triangle in a new orientation and a curved three-lobed figure. Ask which fits the triangle rule and why.

[Teacher plans PDF](/files/1f4985652f45f6b19ef743d7b27765081e2d637d0a001670faa74e59383c736a): page 16. Record exact support and revisit the idea later.

## Keep learning

[Next in this path: Find the repeating part](/agent/docs/tk-lesson-patterns) · [Choose a learning path](/agent/docs/tk-learn)

## Publication details

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Material | Classroom lesson |
| Learning path | Numbers and reasoning |
| Lesson | 15 |
| Learners | California TK, ages 4–5 |
| Setting | Full classroom |
| Pacing | Teacher selects from observed prerequisites |
| Author | Arcomm |
| Edition | First edition, 2026-09-08 |
| Format | Markdown |
| Evidence status | Original synthesis; not outcome-validated |

## Sources and dates

- [CDE: Mathematics](https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/documents/ptklfmathdomain.pdf): current PTKLF edition. Retrieved 2026-09-08T03:44:00.628834+00:00.
- [IES What Works Clearinghouse: Teaching Math to Young Children](https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/18): 2013 practice guide. Retrieved 2026-09-08T03:44:00.628834+00:00.

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## Revisions

[Revision history](/agent/docs/tk-lesson-shapes/history)