Kindergarten - MATH
1: Letters
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills section requires students to "classify objects by observable physical properties (including size, color, shape, texture...)" which directs students to sort by shape. The reading prompts have students generate descriptive words (adjectives) for leaves, including shape-related words such as "round." Activity instructions have students arrange leaves into a circle or a square and sort or choose favorites, giving students practice handling and describing shapes in different arrangements.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly asks students to "Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, or weight)," which directs students to use shape as a basis for sorting. The Student Activity Page includes a firefly pattern and instructs cutting a firefly from glow-in-the-dark paper, so students handle and produce a two-dimensional outline. Activity 2 has students place and find a cut-out firefly, which could involve noticing the firefly's outline in different positions around the room.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked in the Skills section to identify and describe shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres). The Questions to Explore and Activity 1 prompt students to compare sizes (e.g., talk about which animal is biggest or smallest and order animals from smallest to largest). The Student Activity Page provides line drawings of animals that students cut out and arrange, supporting hands-on comparison and ordering practice.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students name shapes (circles, rectangles, and triangles) and sort the shapes into groups by shape. Students count the number of each shape and order each group from smallest to largest. Students cut out and assemble the shapes to create an elephant, manipulating shapes of different sizes and positions to form a composite figure.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The Getting Started prompt asks the child to point out objects in the room that have the shape of a circle, rectangle, and triangle, which has students identify basic two-dimensional shapes. Activity 3 suggests sorting animals by size as an alternate way to sort, which has students compare items by size. The Student Activity Page provides repeated tracing and recognition of a shape-like letter form (an egg illustration connected to 'e'), supporting visual shape attention.
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills section asks students to identify and describe named shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres) and to correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size. The Skills section also asks students to identify shapes as two-dimensional (flat) or three-dimensional (solid). Activity 1 has students identify circles in illustrations and the room and discuss that circles can be big or small and different colors.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to identify a circular object in the room and Activity 2 asks what shape the lids form, prompting shape identification. Students put the lids in order from smallest to largest and are asked to sort the objects and explain their grouping, practicing comparison by size and attribute. Students dip lids in paint to stamp circles of different sizes and make circle patterns, giving hands-on experience with shapes of different sizes.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are shown a die-cut circle and a ball and are asked to identify each shape and explain how they are similar and different. Students are introduced to the terms "circle" (2-dimensional) and "sphere" (3-dimensional) and are asked to name other spherical objects from poems and examples. Students practice using the word "sphere" and describe the ball's location relative to other objects (e.g., "the sphere is on top of the shelf").
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students cut out the Owl Pieces and sort circles, ovals, and triangles while talking about each shape. Students are asked how many sides a triangle has and to explain the difference between a circle and an oval (distance from the middle). Students order shapes within categories by size, count each category, color the biggest and smallest shapes, and assemble the owl from the shapes.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to find a circle, an oval, and a triangle in the room during the review, providing direct practice identifying basic two-dimensional shapes. The special note directs preparation of a triangle, an oval, and a circle on construction paper and index cards, which supports additional hands-on shape recognition. Activity 2 asks students what shape the letter O is (a circle) and has them practice drawing circles, reinforcing identification and formation of a circular shape.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked in the Getting Started review to find a circle, an oval, and a triangle in the room. Activity 2 has students talk about those shapes and asks which shape has three flat sides (triangle), which is equally round (circle), and which looks like a flattened circle (oval). Students hold up or hear index cards naming shapes, name the shapes aloud, and move to the matching large shape using different motions.
Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills section tells students to "correctly name shapes regardless of their dimensions or overall size" and to "identify shapes as either two-dimensional... or three-dimensional (\"solid\")." In Activity 2 students look at a flat world map and a spherical globe and are shown that one is two-dimensional and one is three-dimensional. Students are asked to name the solid ball as a sphere and participate in a hands-on demonstration comparing the flat map to the globe.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students identify and name a die-cut circle and then form yellow playdough into a sphere to represent the Sun. Students move around the house finding objects and grouping them as circles or spheres during a timed hunt. Students hold up each found item and label it either "circle" or "sphere" to reinforce the terms.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 1
Day 1
Activity 2 asks students to identify rectangles in illustrated buildings, point out square windows, state what makes a rectangle (2 long sides and 2 short sides) and what makes a square (4 sides of equal length). Students are given purple cut-out squares and rectangles to sort into two groups and count each, providing hands-on comparison of two-dimensional shapes. The lesson's skills list explicitly includes identifying shapes as two- or three-dimensional and analyzing and comparing two- and three-dimensional shapes.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to point out a square and a rectangle in the room, prompting them to identify basic 2-D shapes. Students are asked "What shape is the moon?" and complete a Phases of the Moon activity in which they cut, order, and glue illustrations labeled full moon, half moon, crescent, sliver, and new moon. The student activity pages present clear circular shapes and labeled examples that students match and sequence.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to identify a square and a rectangle in the room and explain the difference (square has 4 equal sides; rectangle has 2 longer and 2 shorter sides). Students match two-dimensional shapes to three-dimensional solids by deciding which solid (cube or rectangular prism) corresponds to the square and rectangle and by tracing the bottoms to notice the base shapes. Students count and label parts of the solids (number of flat sides/faces = 6, edges = 12, corners = 8) and practice distinguishing "flat" (2D) versus "solid" (3D).
Lesson 4
Day 4
During the Getting Started review, students are shown a square, rectangle, cube, and rectangular prism and are asked to name each one. Students are asked which ones are flat shapes and which ones are solids, prompting classification of 2-D versus 3-D. Activity 2 notes that students might "consider using the purple shapes to form a picture," indicating some handling of 2-D shapes in art.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students name and identify a square, rectangle, cube, and rectangular prism and are asked to show examples of each. Students build a square and then a cube using toothpicks and marshmallows and are prompted to count edges, corners, and faces of the cube. Students make a rectangle by extending a square and then construct a rectangular prism and count its edges, corners, and faces. The prompt "What does she notice about the square?" encourages observation of shape attributes.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to scratch a painted surface to make the moon by creating a large circle and to make stars, including an option to practice a traditional five-line star shape, so they produce and recognize basic 2D shapes. Students cut out paper dolls and clothing from outlined line drawings and glue craft sticks to make puppets, which has them handle and place flat shape cutouts. Students form the uppercase letter N by making straight and diagonal strokes, practicing awareness of lines and angles in a shape.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 2 has students compare the sizes of two stuffed animals using informal language (bigger, longer) and measure lengths by placing and counting marshmallows, then recording which is longer. Activity 3 has students construct a rabbit from marshmallows and toothpicks, handling and assembling small cylindrical marshmallows and larger marshmallows as parts of a 3-D object. The marshmallow bunny image description explicitly depicts the body and parts as cylindrical shapes, indicating student interaction with three-dimensional pieces.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are shown a ball (sphere), cube, and rectangular prism and are asked whether these shapes are two-dimensional or three-dimensional and to recall their names. Students examine a can to identify circles on the top and bottom and test rolling behavior to compare how a cylinder rolls versus a sphere. Students are told that the flat circles are "faces" and are asked to touch and count faces for sphere (0), cube (6), rectangular prism (6), and cylinder (2); they stack marshmallows to observe how the cylinder's height changes and find other household cylinders.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson's Skills list explicitly tells students to "Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight)." The activities include cut-out story sequence pictures and multiple illustrated student activity pages that present objects and scenes students handle, which could be used for sorting or comparing visual attributes.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students trace and cut circle shapes using provided stencils: the instructions direct them to "Trace the larger circle pattern onto the white card stock and cut them out" and to "Trace the smaller circle twice onto the pink paper," and the materials note that three circles of varying sizes are provided for tracing. Students assemble those 2-D circle cutouts onto a wooden spoon (gluing ears, tail, and other parts), thereby manipulating both flat circle shapes and a three-dimensional object during the craft.
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills section asks students to identify and describe specific shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres) and to identify shapes as two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The Skills also direct students to sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes) and to compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., shape, size).
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to identify and compare a can and a paper towel roll, naming both as cylinders and noting that the shape is the same though the sizes differ. Students distinguish between two-dimensional (flat) and three-dimensional (solid) objects by being asked whether objects are flat or solid and by assembling and observing a die-cut cone, describing it as round on the bottom with a pointy top. Students examine pictures of instruments to identify which have cylinder shapes, which have cone-like shapes, and note that some instruments combine both shapes.
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson includes the math skill 'Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") or three dimensional ("solid").' Activity 2 asks students to name the shape of Little Blue and Little Yellow (similar to a circle) and to identify what shape they would be in solid form (a sphere). The activity also presents two small balls and asks students what shape they are (spheres).
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students divide colored dough or Playdoh into portions and form each portion into a ball, and the teacher asks the child what shape she has made (spheres). The activity explicitly uses the word "spheres" and has students create multiple colored spherical objects to handle and observe.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to examine how the author represents characters and settings using shapes (e.g., "He uses bigger shapes of the same color for the parents and torn brown boxes for the houses," and "torn black paper shaped like a mountain"). Students are prompted to tear two pieces of construction paper to represent two characters, use torn paper to represent objects and settings, choose a scene, glue it, and write or dictate what is happening in that scene. These tasks require students to create and manipulate flat paper shapes and to notice size differences among those shapes.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to name and count sides for circle, triangle, square, rectangle, and hexagon and to identify corners/vertices. Students sort a collection of shapes by type and by number of sides or corners, and they compose shapes (e.g., join 2 squares to make a rectangle; use 6 triangles to make a hexagon; cut a square into two triangles and reassemble). The skills list explicitly includes analyzing and comparing two- and three-dimensional shapes and introduces vocabulary such as "vertex".
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to identify a circle, triangle, square, and rectangle in the room and are challenged to draw a hexagon, engaging them in recognizing and producing two-dimensional shapes. The quilt coloring activity features a pattern composed of squares and triangles that students color by number, reinforcing recognition of these 2-D shapes through a hands-on task.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to identify drawn shapes (square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon) and tell something about each one, prompting verbal comparison. In Activity 2 students match die-cut shapes to name cards and respond to spoken clues that require using parts and attributes (e.g., "I have four sides and four corners," "All of my sides are the same length," "I have no straight lines"). The matching and clue tasks make students count sides and corners and describe attributes such as equal side length and differing side lengths.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students handle and name a collection of two- and three-dimensional shapes (cylinder, sphere, cube, cone, rectangular prism and paper shapes) and sort them as flat or solid. Students match flat shapes to corresponding solids (e.g., circle–sphere, square–cube, rectangle faces of a rectangular prism) and identify faces of solids. Students respond to attribute-based clues that ask them to locate shapes by properties such as pointed top, circles on ends, number of sides, four equal sides, and six faces.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are prompted to describe an egg's shape and to compare its size, weight, and texture, including measuring or comparing it to other objects. Students build an "extraordinary egg" by covering a balloon with tissue paper and popping it, providing hands-on experience with a three-dimensional object. Students form and trace the letter X with two pencils and on the activity page trace and write uppercase Xs, practicing formation and orientation of intersecting lines.
2: Holidays
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students work with and create basic two-dimensional shapes: the activity descriptions and images show a circle for the turkey body and head, an oval for the body, triangular shapes for the beak, straight lines for legs, and instructions to draw, cut, and glue circles and a triangular nose. The Student Activity Page explicitly describes those geometric shapes as components of the turkey drawing and the handprint turkey activity asks students to draw and cut circles for the body and face.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students cut two paper sails for each mast and glue them to sticks, which has them create and handle 2D paper shapes (the sails are described as triangular). Students manipulate a plastic tub to represent the body of the Mayflower, giving them experience with a 3D object. The included image and text describe the boat as being made of basic shapes and topped with three triangular sails, providing visual examples of shapes.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are instructed to draw large circles for the eyes and to use three rectangles to make a stovepipe hat, and they cut rectangular strips of paper for the beard. The activity also asks students to trim the handprint turkey paper into a rectangle and to assemble and glue these pieces, so students name, draw, cut, and manipulate 2-D shapes of different sizes.
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students handle rectangular strips of different lengths, name them as rectangles, and are asked to order and glue them from shortest to longest, practicing comparison by size. Students identify and glue a triangle, star, and a 3"x3" square, and are prompted to name each shape and discuss features such as number of sides and that a square has four equal sides. Students use foam shapes to decorate the tree and are asked to talk about each shape's number of sides, its name, and what makes it unique, supporting informal description of similarities and differences.