Tangram Activities
First Version
Activity #1
This activity focuses on folding the shapes that will be used for the remainder of the activities. The slides for the activity gives directions for folding each shape. The worksheet asks students about different shapes, which can be identified throughout the folding process.
Activity #2
This activity asks students to find the area of each individual tangram shape by using the given area of each Large Triangle piece.
Activity #3
This activity has students create their own triangles with the tangram pieces made in Activity #1. Once students have created their triangles, they will find the area of each of their triangles by using the areas found in Tangram Activity #2.
Activity #4
This activity is similar to Activity #3, except students will be making a square and a rectangle. Students will also find the area of the shapes they created using the areas found in Activity #2
Activity #5
Second Version
Activity #1
We start this activity by giving students folded tangram pieces out of origami paper. Students begin the activity by completing the tangram square, with the position of the large triangles already given in the picture. Afterwards, students use their tangram pieces and given information to find the area of the individual tangram pieces.
Activity #4
This activity is similar to Activities #2-#3, with the focus being on rectangles. Students create rectangles with their tangram pieces, and then find and compare each area. This activity ends with creating a rectangle with all of their pieces, and allows students to construct an argument and provide a justification.
Activity #2
This activity has students focus on creating triangles using four tangram pieces, as well as finding the areas of the created triangles. Students can also experiment their tangram pieces by creating a triangle with all of their pieces, and then figure what number of pieces can or cannot make a triangle.
Activity #5
Similar to Activities #2-#4, students build parallelograms using five of their tangram pieces. Students find the area of the parallelograms and compare the two areas. This activity ends with creating a parallelogram using all of their pieces, and provides an opportunity for students to produce an argument and justification for the last question.
Activity #3
The next activity focuses on students creating squares using four tangram pieces. Students find and compare the areas of each triangle. The activity ends with creating a square with all the pieces, and provides an opportunity for students to answer an argument and provide justification for their answers.
Activity #6
The last polygon discussed in this series of activities are trapezoids. Students create trapezoids with their tangram pieces, then find and compare their areas. The activity ends with creating a trapezoid using all of their tangram pieces, and providing an argument and justification for the last question.
Activity #7
This activity has two worksheets, and students use their critical thinking skills to create irregular shapes that are on the worksheet. Even though the irregular shapes are similar, the slight differences causes students to think how to use each piece differently to make each variation of the irregular shape. The activity concludes with students using the tangram pieces to create their own figure and decorate it.