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Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape.
Standard #: MAFS.1.G.1.2Archived Standard
Standard Information
General Information
Subject Area: Mathematics
Grade: 1
Domain-Subdomain: Geometry
Cluster: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts
Cluster: Reason with shapes and their attributes. (Additional Cluster) -

Clusters should not be sorted from Major to Supporting and then taught in that order. To do so would strip the coherence of the mathematical ideas and miss the opportunity to enhance the major work of the grade with the supporting clusters.
Date Adopted or Revised: 02/14
Content Complexity Rating: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 02/14
Status: State Board Approved - Archived
Related Courses
Related Resources
Formative Assessments
Lesson Plans
  • Build a New Shape # Build a New Shape is a lesson for building composite shapes from triangle(s), square(s) and trapezoid(s). This lesson uses a story and certain pattern block manipulative to help students to gain this skill.
  • Puzzled by Pattern Blocks! # In this lesson, the students will use two-dimensional pattern blocks to compose new shapes and fill in composite outlines of shapes.
  • Life Jackets # In this Model Eliciting Activity, MEA, the students are to decide what criteria is the most important for a company to consider when choosing life jackets. Students will use tally charts with data about comfort and visibility as well as information provided on 3D figures that can be used to model the life jackets. 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. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
  • Fun with Shapes # In this lesson students explore the composing of new shapes from other two-dimensional shapes. The students will utilize math benchmarks as they analyze math solutions and explain their solutions. Since the lesson uses composing, it is also a good lesson to use to show decomposing (taking a shape apart).
  • Quilt Squares # 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. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx Students will use pattern blocks to create a quilt square for the Quick Quilters Society. They will have to consider information on a data chart to help them create their squares. They will have to add up the cost to make their square, too.
  • Composite Creature # The students will use pattern blocks to build and draw new composite geometric shapes, ultimately using composite shapes to form a creature.
  • Shape Detectives # In this hands-on lesson, students will become Shape Detectives as they identify the two-dimensional shapes, such as triangles, squares and rectangles, needed to build three-dimensional figures including rectangular prisms, square pyramids and cubes. The students will gain an understanding of how two-dimensional shapes are joined together to form three-dimensional figures as well as creating an edible example!
Problem-Solving Tasks
  • Overlapping Rectangles # The purpose of this task is to give students an opportunity to compose and decompose polygons to make rectangles. This is a challenging problem for first graders and it would be inappropriate to use it as an assessment.
  • Make Your Own Puzzle # The purpose of this task is to give students a hands-on experience with composing and decomposing geometric figures and is meant as an instructional task.
  • Counting Squares # The purpose of this task is to give students an opportunity to compose and decompose squares. This is a challenging problem for first graders and it would be inappropriate to use it as an assessment. However, if presented as a brainteaser it can be useful for giving the students practice in recognizing squares and stimulate interest as students compete to try to find the most squares.
Teaching Ideas
  • Polygons and Shapely Lines # This activity gives students practice drawing straight lines with a ruler and looking for and categorizing shapes, for example, by the number of sides in polygons. The Teachers' Notes page includes suggestions for implementation, discussion questions and ideas for extension.
  • Shape Hunt # To give students opportunities to recognize, describe, build, and explore shapes in many different contexts.
Virtual Manipulatives
  • Shape Tool # This virtual manipulative allows you to create, color, enlarge, shrink, rotate, reflect, slice, and glue geometric shapes, such as: squares, triangles, rhombi, trapezoids and hexagons.
  • Shape Cutter # This virtual manipulative allows students to draw geometric shapes and then decompose and recompose them into other shapes, using slides, turns, and flips to cut and move pieces around.
STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity
  • Life Jackets # In this Model Eliciting Activity, MEA, the students are to decide what criteria is the most important for a company to consider when choosing life jackets. Students will use tally charts with data about comfort and visibility as well as information provided on 3D figures that can be used to model the life jackets. 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. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
  • Quilt Squares # 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. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx Students will use pattern blocks to create a quilt square for the Quick Quilters Society. They will have to consider information on a data chart to help them create their squares. They will have to add up the cost to make their square, too.
MFAS Formative Assessments
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