Teaching Transformations

I designed the math game, Shape Mods, and the accompanying Transformation Workshop to provide students with opportunities to practice geometric transformations. The object of the game is to transform the starting green figure into the final red figure using anywhere from one to four transformation blocks. The blocks include translation, rotation about the origin, and reflection across horizontal and vertical lines as well as y = x and y = -x. Once the blocks are in place, students can watch the transformations play out in the order they chose.

We've been projecting Shape Mods on the whiteboard and having our 5th and 6th grade classes engage in spirited competitions. Each team is given a set of pink, white, blue, and yellow discs to represent vertices. This helps students visualize the steps before locking in an answer. Students have also enjoyed practicing independently.

How will you use Shape Mods in your classroom?