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Lesson Plan Template

  • Grade

  • Subject

  • Section

Kindergarten

Math

  • Competency

Three-dimensional shapes (K)

  • Aligned Standards

Geometry

  • Strand

K.G.A.2

  • Vocabulary

  • cylinder
  • sphere
  • cube
  • pyramid

Identify Cylinders

Prerequisite Skill

None Assigned

Materials and Preparation

  • TeachTastic Worksheet Pack: Includes visual aids and activities focused on identifying cylinders and other three-dimensional shapes.
  • Physical Objects: A variety of three-dimensional shapes including cylinders (e.g., soup cans), spheres (e.g., balls), and cubes (e.g., dice).

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to identify and distinguish cylinders from other three-dimensional shapes by observing their characteristics.

Introduction

Start the lesson by displaying three different shapes: a cylinder, a sphere, and a cube. Ask students to observe and describe the shapes briefly, leading into the lesson's focus on cylinders.

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

Learn with an example:

  • Question: Display three shapes: one cylinder, one sphere, and one cube. "Which shape is a cylinder?"
  • Key Idea: Explain that a cylinder is a shape with two flat surfaces (the tops and bottoms are flat and are circles), and the rest of the cylinder is curved. Use everyday objects like a soup can for a cylinder, a box or dice for a cube, and a globe for a sphere to illustrate.
  • Solution: Guide students through identifying the cylinder among the shapes. Highlight the cylindrical shape's key features: two flat surfaces that are circles and a curved side. Emphasize the terms "circle," "curved," and "flat surfaces."

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Guided Practice

Provide students with the "Spot the Cylinder" worksheet. This activity will include pictures of various objects, and students will need to identify which ones are cylinders, focusing on the shape's defining characteristics.

Independent Practice

Students will engage in a "Cylinder Scavenger Hunt" using the independent practice worksheet. They will either find objects around the classroom that are cylinders or identify cylinders from a series of images.

Differentiation

Support

  • Use physical objects for tactile learners to feel the shapes of cylinders versus other three-dimensional shapes.
  • Small group discussions about where cylinders are found in real life and their uses.

Extension

  • Explore making cylinders using paper or clay, discussing the process of forming the flat surfaces and curved sides.
  • Introduce the concepts of volume and capacity using cylindrical containers.

Assessment

Evaluate the worksheets, exit tickets, and classroom discussions to assess students' understanding of cylinders and their ability to distinguish cylinders from other shapes.

Review and closing

Summarize the lesson by reviewing the characteristics of cylinders and contrasting them with spheres and cubes. Highlight interesting cylinder objects students identified during the lesson.

Misconceptions

  • Students may confuse cylinders with circles, focusing only on the shape's base. Clarify the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.
  • Some students might not recognize cylinders if they are viewed from the side (seeing only the curved surface). Use various orientations to teach recognition.
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