Benchmark Instructional Guide
Connecting Benchmarks/Horizontal Alignment
Terms from the K-12 Glossary
- Circles
- Cones
- Cubes
- Cylinders
- Rectangles
- Spheres
- Squares
- Triangles
Vertical Alignment
Previous Benchmarks
Next Benchmarks
Purpose and Instructional Strategies
The purpose of this benchmark is to allow students an opportunity to apply understanding of classification and language they have learned regarding figures to the real world (MTR.7.1).- Instruction should include objects that may not be a perfect representation, but are approximate models for representing appropriate figures.
- Instruction should include bringing in additional items that are familiar and can be modeled by appropriate figures (cans of soup, Rubik’s Cube, cones, etc.).
Common Misconceptions or Errors
- In real life, many objects can be appropriately modeled with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures. For the purpose of this benchmark, do not struggle with this. Allow students flexibility and rely on their justifications (MTR.4.1, MTR.6.1).
Strategies to Support Tiered Instruction
- Teacher provides paper pictures of real-world 3-dimensional objects to help students
develop the understanding that some 3-dimensional objects can be modeled by using 2-
dimensional shapes.
- For example, teachers can show students a picture of a window and explain that it can be described as a rectangle. Or if the window has several sections it can be described as a figure being composed of several rectangles.
- For example, teachers can show students a picture of a face of a nickel and
explain that it can be described as a circle. Then teachers can show students an
actual nickel and ask “Is there any other shape they can be used to describe the
coin?”
- Teacher can explain and demonstrate how both a circle and a cylinder are both correct responses. If students have difficulty recognizing that the nickel is a cylinder, the teacher can stack several nickels on top of each other to provide further support.
Instructional Tasks
Instructional Task 1 (MTR.4.1, MTR.6.1, MTR.7.1)
Using a graphic organizer, allow students to observe objects they find around the classroom, providing students an opportunity to record their observations. After recording students can discuss in teams what they found, providing justifications for the choices they made. Encourage students to use language and criteria they have developed regarding identifying figures, such as the number of sides, two-dimensional versus three-dimensional, straight sides or curved sides.
Instructional Items
Instructional Item 1
Using the image below, draw a box around all the rectangles you see, draw a circle around all the circles you see and draw an “x” over all the spheres you see.*The strategies, tasks and items included in the B1G-M are examples and should not be considered comprehensive.
Related Courses
Related Access Points
Related Resources
Formative Assessments
Lesson Plans
STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity
In this MEA, students will sort recycling material based on the shape, name the shapes, and decide on what recycling bin would be the best for the city to choose. Students will write and draw a picture describing which recycling bin they chose.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.
MFAS Formative Assessments
Students look at two photographs taken at a school and choose a shape from one of the photographs to model or draw.
Students examine two photographs taken in a classroom and identify and name shapes they see.