Geoboards

Manipulative Portfolio - Entry 3

Aurora Turmelle
Description
Grade Range: K-3 (but can be modified for any age group)

Description: A Geoboard is a manipulative that is a board

that has rows of pegs that allow students to use rubber bands
to create various shapes and designs that can be used to
study geometry on multiple levels.
Pictures
Connection to Research
Are We Having Fun Yet? How Teachers Use Manipulatives to Teach Mathematics

This article discusses the how manipulatives (like Geoboards) work in conjunction with a teacher to
reinforce students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. While studies have shown that students
perform better when they have access to manipulatives, using manipulatives should not be the only
way that students should be introduced to mathematics. Manipulatives in math can make the
educational experience for student more exciting and valuable for students, as they often times are
more engaged. However, while manipulatives have a positive impact on class manipulatives, they
should only be used to reinforce what students are learning, and therefore students use and
understanding they develop from the manipulatives should only be evaluated in the greater context
of the lesson/unit.

Often times, teachers and students alike consider the use of manipulatives to be “fun math” while
the traditional worksheet/lesson based math class is considered “real math.” By denoting the
difference between the two math practices, this communicates to students that while they may be an
approach to mathematics that they enjoy, manipulatives are meant to be used as an enhancer, and
must be communicated to students that they are not a necessity when it comes to real-world math.
Thus, by teaching “real math” then “fun math” teachers are able to show students that there are
funs ways to use what they are learning in math class that reinforce their learning.
Common Core STate Standards
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.3
Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") or three-dimensional ("solid").

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.B.5
Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.3
Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases
half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more
equal shares creates smaller shares.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.G.A.1
Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces.1 Identify triangles,
quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.G.A.1
Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the
shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and
draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories.
Common Core STate Standards cont.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.G.A.1
Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes;
apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.G.A.1
Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing
at a different scale.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.8.G.A.2
Understand that a two-dimensional figure is congruent to another if the second can be obtained from the first by a sequence of rotations, reflections, and
translations; given two congruent figures, describe a sequence that exhibits the congruence between them.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.SRT.B.4
Prove theorems about triangles. Theorems include: a line parallel to one side of a triangle divides the other two proportionally, and conversely; the Pythagorean
Theorem proved using triangle similarity.
Instructional Procedure
1. Begin by introducing students to the manipulative, and explaining the purpose of
using them in math class.
2. Demonstrate in front of the class of how to properly use the manipulative (by
creating shapes using rubber bands).
a. Demonstrate how to create basic shapes (like a square) using the rubber
bands.
3. Have students break into pairs to work on creating different kinds of shapes and
angles with the AngLegs so that they can practice using the manipulative, and
they can work with a partner to review materials.
4. After students demonstrated a solid understanding of how to use the manipulative
using their previous knowledge of shapes and angles, the teacher will put a set
of shapes and angles up on the board for students to independently create using
the AngLegs (angles like acute, obtuse, supplementary, complementary).
5. As students work on creating these shapes and angles, the teacher should be
floating around the room checking in with students to monitor understand
Technology Applications
Assessment Methods
Geoboards could be used as a formative assessment to determine
student’s understanding of the properties of the shapes, area and
perimeter.

Specifically, when teaching younger students the properties of

shapes, the teacher could prompt students with different kinds of
shapes (rhombus, square, triangle, etc) which the students will
create independently on their boards while the teacher floats around
the room to check in with the students. Further, the teacher could
also ask students to create shapes with x-number of sides, or x-
number of corner pieces, so that students showcase their
understanding of defining features of shapes (such as a pentagon has
5 sides, a triangle has three corners, etc).
Personal Experience
This is a manipulative that I actually do have experience
with! I remember using Geoboards in first and second grade to
learn the properties of shapes, area, and perimeter.

While I only used this manipulative in elementary school, I

feel that this manipulative could be modified to be used in
middle school and a high school math classroom. I could see
geoboards being used in a geometry class to act as a way to
prove the Pythagorean Theorem, as well as other sorts of
geometry theorems, such as the sum of internal and exterior
angles.
References
Patricia S. Moyer. (2001). Are We Having Fun Yet? How Teachers Use
Manipulatives to Teach Mathematics. Springer, 47. Retrieved from:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3483327.pdf?acceptTC=true&casa_token=BEk16lue
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