Foundations of Mathematical Thinking · Senior Infants

Active learning ideas

Geometric Terms and Definitions

Active learning helps students connect abstract geometric terms to their physical world. Moving, sorting, and discussing shapes makes properties like sides, corners, and faces tangible. These activities build spatial reasoning and vocabulary together.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle - Geometry and Trigonometry - GT.1

• 15–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Roll or Slide Test

In small groups, students use a wooden ramp to test various 3D objects from the classroom. They predict whether an object will roll, slide, or do both, then record their findings on a simple chart.

Can you point to a shape that is a circle? What about a square?

Facilitation Tip

During the Roll or Slide Test, circulate with guiding questions like 'What makes a shape roll instead of slide?' to push thinking.

What to look for

Provide students with a worksheet containing various drawings. Ask them to label each drawing with the correct geometric term (point, line, line segment, ray, angle) and circle the vertex of any angles shown.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 20 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Shape Hunters

The teacher places photos of real-world Irish landmarks (like the Spire or a round tower) around the room. Students walk around in pairs with 'viewfinders' to identify and name the 2D and 3D shapes they see within the structures.

How many corners does this shape have , let us count together.

Facilitation Tip

In the Shape Hunters Gallery Walk, place only one type of cut-out per station so students focus on a single shape’s properties.

What to look for

Hold up objects or draw on the board. Ask: 'Can you find a point on this object?' 'Where do you see a line segment?' 'Show me two rays that form an angle.' Encourage students to use the new vocabulary.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 15 min · Pairs

Role Play: The Feely Bag Architect

One student reaches into a bag and describes the properties of a shape (e.g., 'It has three pointy corners and three straight sides') without naming it. The other student must draw the shape based only on the description.

Find something in the room that looks like a triangle.

Facilitation Tip

For the Feely Bag Architect, rotate the bag’s contents daily to prevent students from memorizing the order of objects.

What to look for

Give each student a card with one geometric term. Ask them to draw a picture representing that term and write one sentence explaining its key feature. For example, for 'angle,' they might draw two lines meeting and write 'It has a vertex.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach geometry by starting with real objects students can hold and manipulate. Encourage hands-on exploration before introducing formal terms. Avoid rushing to definitions; let students discover properties through guided play and discussion. Research shows concrete experiences build stronger mental models than abstract explanations alone.

Students will confidently name shapes, describe their properties, and explain how they move or stack. They will use correct vocabulary to compare and classify 2D and 3D objects in everyday contexts.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Roll or Slide Test, watch for students who insist a triangle must have equal sides or point upward to be called a triangle.

  Have students rotate and flip long, skinny, and right-angled triangles during the test. Ask them to count sides and corners aloud, reinforcing that shape identity depends on properties, not orientation.

• During the Shape Hunters Gallery Walk, watch for students who mix up 2D and 3D names, such as calling a cube a square.

  Provide a sorting bin for flat cut-outs and another for solid blocks. Ask students to physically place the 'flat square' in the 2D bin and the 'fat cube' in the 3D bin, emphasizing the difference in thickness.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk
• Role Play