Students will use informal and emerging formal language to describe shapes and their attributes, including number of sides, corners, size, and other characteristics.

When children learn to describe shapes with words, they:
- Build geometric vocabulary
- Develop communication skills
- Think more precisely about shapes
- Notice details and attributes
- Can explain their mathematical thinking
- Connect visual understanding to language

Model Descriptive Language

Teacher demonstrates rich descriptions:
- "This shape has three straight sides"
- "It has three pointy corners"
- "This side is long, this side is short"
- "It's a red triangle"
- "It's bigger than this one"

Children learn vocabulary through hearing and using it!

Accept Informal Language Initially

Children might say:
- "Pointy things" (corners)
- "Flat parts" (sides)
- "Round all around" (sphere)
- "Goes this way" (orientation)

Accept and expand: "Yes! Those are corners - pointy parts where the sides meet!"

Progress from Simple to Complex

Stage 1: Basic identification
- "It's a circle"
- "It's red"

Stage 2: Single attributes
- "It has corners"
- "It's big"

Stage 3: Multiple attributes
- "It's a blue square with four corners"
- "It's a small red triangle"

Stage 4: Comparative descriptions
- "This rectangle is longer than that one"
- "This has more sides than a triangle"

Make It Interactive

Mystery Shape Game: Describe a shape, children guess
Shape Interviews: "Tell me everything about this shape"
I Spy: "I spy a shape with four sides"
Describe and Draw: One describes, partner draws

Number of Sides

• "How many sides does it have?"
• Count together
• "Let's touch each side as we count"
• Compare: "This has more sides than that one"

Number of Corners

• "How many corners?"
• "Where the sides meet"
• "Pointy parts"
• Feel corners with fingers

Type of Sides

• Straight: "Goes in a line"
• Curved: "Goes around", "not straight"
• Equal: "Same length"
• Different lengths: "This one is longer"

Size

• Big/small
• Tall/short
• Long/short
• Wide/narrow
• Bigger than/smaller than

Color and Pattern

• Color names
• Patterns on the shape
• Solid or patterned

Orientation

• "Standing up" vs "lying down"
• "Pointing this way"
• "Turned around"
• "Upside down"

Texture (for 3D shapes)

• Smooth
• Rough
• Bumpy
• Soft/hard

Dimension (3D vs 2D)

• "Flat" (2D)
• "You can hold it" (3D)
• "Takes up space" (3D)
• "On the paper" (2D)

Basic Shape Words

• Circle, square, triangle, rectangle
• Sphere, cube, cylinder
• Shape names

Attribute Words

• Sides, corners, edges
• Straight, curved
• Round
• Flat
• Pointy

Size Words

• Big, small
• Large, little
• Tall, short
• Long, short
• Wide, narrow
• Bigger, smaller

Position Words

• Top, bottom
• Side
• Corner
• Edge
• Inside, outside

Comparison Words

• Same, different
• More, less/fewer
• Bigger than, smaller than
• Longer than, shorter than
• Like, unlike

Action Words

• Rolls, slides
• Stacks
• Turns, rotates
• Points

Advanced Words (emerging)

• Angle ("corner")
• Face (side of 3D shape)
• Solid
• Symmetry ("same on both sides")

Mystery Shape Box

• Put shape in box
• Child feels without looking
• Describes what they feel
• "It has corners... It's pointy... I think it's a triangle!"
• Pull out to check

Describe and Draw

Partner activity:
- One child has shape (hidden from partner)
- Describes it
- Partner draws based on description
- Compare drawing to actual shape
- Discuss: What details helped? What was missed?

Shape Interview

• "Let's interview this shape!"
• Ask questions:
• "How many sides do you have?"
• "Are you big or small?"
• "What color are you?"
• Child answers for the shape
• Write responses

I Spy Descriptions

• Teacher: "I spy a shape with three corners"
• Children identify
• Winner gives next description
• Encourage detailed clues

Sorting by Description

• Teacher gives description: "Find all shapes with four sides"
• Children sort accordingly
• Vary attributes: color, size, number of corners

Shape Museum Labels

• Children create labels for shapes
• Draw shape
• Write/dictate description
• Display with actual shapes

Describe and Match

• Provide shape cards
• Read/hear description
• Find matching shape
• "Which shape has four equal sides and four corners?"

Build What I Describe

• Teacher describes structure: "Stack three cubes. Put sphere on top."
• Children build what's described
• Check for accuracy

Circle

Simple: "It's round. No corners."
More detailed: "It's round all the way around. No corners. No straight sides. It's curved. It can roll."

Square

Simple: "Four sides. Four corners."
More detailed: "It has four straight sides that are all the same length. It has four corners. All sides are equal. It looks like a box."

Triangle

Simple: "Three sides. Three corners."
More detailed: "It has three straight sides. Three pointy corners. It can point up, down, or sideways. It looks like a mountain or roof."

Rectangle

Simple: "Four sides. Four corners. Like a stretched square."
More detailed: "It has four straight sides. Two long sides and two short sides. Four corners. It looks like a door or book."

Sphere

Simple: "Round all around. You can hold it."
More detailed: "It's round like a ball. You can hold it. It's not flat. No corners or edges. It rolls in any direction."

Cube

Simple: "Like a box. Has corners."
More detailed: "It's like a box. Six square faces. Eight corners. You can stack it. It doesn't roll."

Cylinder

Simple: "Like a can. Round ends."
More detailed: "It has two round ends. One curved side. No corners on the curved part. Rolls in one direction. Like a can or tube."

Limited vocabulary
Child wants to describe but lacks words.

Solution: Provide word bank. "Is it big or small? Does it have corners? How many sides?"

Vague descriptions
"It's round" for everything circular.

Solution: Ask follow-up questions. "What else can you tell me? How many sides?"

Confusing similar shapes
Calling rectangles "squares."

Solution: "They are similar! Both have four sides and corners. What's different about the sides?"

Difficulty with comparisons
"Bigger" and "smaller" are hard.

Solution: Direct comparison. Put shapes side by side. "Which one is bigger?"

Mixing 2D and 3D language
Calling sphere a "circle."

Solution: "This circle is flat [show]. This sphere is round all around [show]. Different!"

Mastery indicators:
- Uses shape names correctly
- Counts sides and corners
- Describes multiple attributes
- Uses size words appropriately
- Compares shapes
- Uses geometric vocabulary
- Gives descriptions detailed enough for others to identify shape
- Asks questions about shapes
- Responds to others' descriptions

Support:
- Start with one attribute at a time
- Provide word bank/visual cues
- Model descriptions repeatedly
- Use sentence frames: "This shape has ___ sides"
- Focus on basic vocabulary
- One-on-one practice
- Accept pointing and gestures initially

Extension:
- Describe using multiple attributes
- Use comparative language
- Introduce advanced vocabulary (angle, face, vertex)
- Describe complex shapes
- Write descriptions independently
- Create riddles: "I have 3 sides, what am I?"
- Notice and describe subtle differences
- Use measurement words (longer by this much)

Families can help:
- Play I Spy with shape descriptions
- "Describe your toy"
- Ask child to explain shapes they see
- "How many sides does that sign have?"
- Encourage precise language
- Read shape books
- Play shape guessing games
- Praise detailed descriptions

Literacy:
- Descriptive writing
- Following directions
- Vocabulary development

Science:
- Observation skills
- Describing phenomena
- Classification

Art:
- Describing artwork
- Art vocabulary

Social-Emotional:
- Communication skills
- Listening to others
- Taking turns

20 Questions (Shapes)

• Think of a shape
• Others ask yes/no questions
• "Does it have corners?"
• Guess the shape

Shape Charades

• Describe shape without saying name
• Others guess
• Can use hands to show

Telephone Descriptions

• Whisper shape description
• Pass down line
• Last person draws it
• See if description stayed accurate

Find the Twin

• Describe a shape
• Find exact match among many shapes
• Must be precise!

Written (Emergent Writers)

• Draw shape
• Write/dictate key words
• Teacher scribes full sentences

Oral

• Record child describing shape
• Play back
• "Did you include everything?"

Visual

• Create labeled diagrams
• Point to parts while describing
• Use arrows and labels

Help children be more precise:
- Vague: "It's big"
- More precise: "It's bigger than this one"

• Vague: "It has sides"

• More precise: "It has four straight sides"

• Vague: "It's round"

• More precise: "It's a circle with no corners"

Ask: "Can you tell me more? Can you be more specific?"

Describing shapes develops:
- Precision: Using exact language
- Clarity: Being understood
- Reasoning: Explaining thinking
- Vocabulary: Mathematical terms
- Listening: Understanding others' descriptions

These skills are foundational for all mathematical communication!

• Accept home language descriptions
• Teach English alongside home language
• Use gestures and visuals
• Value all communication attempts
• Consider different cultural shape associations

• Model rich descriptions constantly
• Accept approximations initially
• Ask open-ended questions
• Provide word banks and visuals
• Make it fun and game-like
• Celebrate detailed descriptions
• Don't correct too quickly - expand instead
• Use think-alouds: "Let me describe this shape..."
• Connect to their experiences
• Be patient with language development
• Record progress over time
• Make describing shapes routine

• "What do you notice about this shape?"
• "How many sides/corners?"
• "Is it big or small?"
• "What color is it?"
• "Is it flat or solid?"
• "Does it have straight sides or curved sides?"
• "What does it remind you of?"
• "How is it the same as/different from this shape?"
• "Can it roll? Stack?"
• "What else can you tell me?"

Learning to describe shapes:
- Builds mathematical communication skills
- Develops precise thinking
- Enhances observational abilities
- Supports spatial reasoning
- Builds confidence in explaining thinking
- Transfers to describing other concepts

Children who can describe shapes well become students who can explain their mathematical thinking - a critical skill for success!