Tangram Middle School Activities
Tangrams are an ancient Chinese set of seven geometric shapes that are often used in puzzle activities. The shapes include five triangles, a square and a parallelogram. Tangrams can also be used to give middle school students a better understanding of shapes' areas and how to calculate them without using formulas. The puzzles can also be used to familiarize students with a variety of geometric shapes.
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Making Tangram Shapes
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Using any material you want, like heavy card stock, cardboard or colored construction paper, cut a 4 inch by 4 inch square. You can also make a set out of wood or metal, but that may not be an appropriate classroom activity. Trace a tangram graph on the paper to outline the seven shapes. Carefully cut the shapes out of the paper, staying as close to the lines as possible.
If you are using paper, once the cutting is done, the set is ready. If you are using wood or other material, sand and finish the pieces before moving on to other activities.
Tangram Puzzles
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Show the students a Tangram puzzle picture. There are nearly unlimited options for these puzzles, and you can make your own or select shapes that follow a theme, like a holiday or season. There are also pictures of people, common household objects and animals.
Have the students attempt to copy the shape using their Tangram pieces. These puzzles can range from easy to challenging, and will serve to familiarize the students with the shapes in the set. When showing students the solutions, explain whether each shape is a congruent triangle, medium-sized triangle, square or parallelogram.
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Calculating the Area of Tangram Blocks
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This activity will familiarize students with finding areas without needing to use formulas to calculate them. If students are not familiar with the definition of "area," explain to them what it means and why it is important to know.
To begin calculating, have students trace the square in their notebooks, and define that as an area of one unit. Use the two congruent triangles to make a square, and have the students determine how many of the small squares will fit into this larger square. Divide that number by two to determine the area of each triangle. Use the triangles and square to determine the area of the other shapes. Have students note each shape's area, which will be used in the next activity.
Calculating Areas of Other Shapes
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Using the known areas of Tangram pieces as a guide, present students with many other shapes and have them determine the areas of those shapes. This would work best with outlines of the shapes copied on pieces of paper for each student. Test students' knowledge after going through this activity by redefining the square's area as 2 units and 1.5 units, and have them apply that new area to the other shapes.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit silhouette de cygne réalisée avec les 7 pièces d'un tangram image by Unclesam from Fotolia.com
