What happened before the lesson?

Where did the idea come from?
Children are often required to identify two-dimensional shapes in their environment. I decided to expand this idea by requiring them to “trace” the shape first and then label it with a sticky circle dot  or a rectangular post-it note.

What had the children learned BEFORE this lesson? 
Children had explored three-dimensional shapes quite extensively up to this point. 

What did you plan to do AFTER this lesson?
After this lesson, children will put rectangles together into a quilt (see Puppet Search) and use circles to create pictures.

What's happening during the lesson?

Objective: Children will identify, trace, and label circles and rectangles in their environment.

Introduction:
I explained that children will be going to go on a “hunt” for circles and rectangles. 

Procedure:

1. Children were given three plastic shapes: a triangle, rectangle, and circle. 
2. I showed a circle and asked them to trace around their circles while we said ROUND.
3. I then showed them a rectangle (one that was not a square) and asked them to trace around their rectangle while we said SIDE, CORNER, SIDE, CORNER, SIDE, CORNER, SIDE CORNER.
4. Children were then assigned to a small group with a center teacher. Each group either had circle labels or rectangle labels. They found as many of their assigned shape, traced it, and then labeled it with the paper shapes.
5. We discussed our discoveries with the whole class. We also recorded them so we wouldn’t forget!
   

The fire extinguisher was labeled! Even the screw was identified by the red circle.

The door has a rectangle for a surface and the keyhole is a great circle.

What will I do after the lesson?

How did your plans change as you taught this lesson?
While I had planned that we would work together in a whole group to talk about the shapes they had identified, I had no idea that they would be that excited. I had to give the discussion more time and then ask them to draw the shapes they had seen. We discussed it again the next day.

What would you do differently if you taught it again?
I would use different words for tracing the rectangle: SIDE, TURN, SIDE, TURN, SIDE, TURN, SIDE, TURN. Turn fits better when they advance in geometry.

How would you describe the teaching that occurred using the words on the Continuum of Teaching Behaviors? 
The teachers in the small groups acted as FACILITATORS as they gave some assistance in the tracing and labeling of the shapes. When they came back together in a whole group, I MODELED finding shapes.