Lesson plan
Pattern Blocks
Pattern Blocks are a set of mathematical manipulatives developed in the 1960s. The six shapes are both a play resource and a tool for learning in mathematics, which serve to develop spatial reasoning skills that are fundamental to the learning of mathematics. Among other things, they allow children to see how shapes can be composed and decomposed into other shapes, and introduce children to ideas of tilings. Pattern blocks sets are multiple copies of just six shapes: *Equilateral triangle (Green) *60° rhombus (2 triangles) (Blue) that can be matched with two of the green triangles *30° Narrow rhombus (Beige) with the same side-length as the green triangle *Trapezoid (half hexagon or 3 triangles) (Red) that can be matched with three of the green triangles *Regular Hexagon (6 triangles) (Yellow) that can be matched with six of the green triangles *Square (Orange) with the same side-length as the green triangle All the angles are multiples of 30° (1/12 of a circle): 30° (1×), 60° (2×), 90° (3×), 120° (4×), and 150° (5×).
Article summary
Pattern Blocks are a set of mathematical manipulatives developed in the 1960s. The six shapes are both a play resource and a tool for learning in mathematics, which serve to develop spatial reasoning skills that are fundamental to the learning of mathematics. Among other things, they allow children to see how shapes can be composed and decomposed into other shapes, and introduce children to ideas of tilings. Pattern blocks sets are multiple copies of just six shapes: *Equilateral triangle (Green) *60° rhombus (2 triangles) (Blue) that can be matched with two of the green triangles *30° Narrow rhombus (Beige) with the same side-length as the green triangle *Trapezoid (half hexagon or 3 triangles) (Red) that can be matched with three of the green triangles *Regular Hexagon (6 triangles) (Yellow) that can be matched with six of the green triangles *Square (Orange) with the same side-length as the green triangle All the angles are multiples of 30° (1/12 of a circle): 30° (1×), 60° (2×), 90° (3×), 120° (4×), and 150° (5×).
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.