Rectangles Investigation
How many rectangles can you find on a grid of squares?
Investigate!
Other shape counting starters:
How Many Squares 1?
| How Many Squares 2?
How Many Triangles 1?
|
How Many Triangles 2? | How Many Triangles 3?
How Many Rectangles?
| Rectangles Investigation |
Icosahedron
©Transum Software | Investigations Home
"There are eleven rectangle."
Vijaya, Jodh
Friday, April 30, 2010
"Every square here contains 9 rectangles."
Mark, Holland
Friday, September 24, 2010
"We had a go and we got various answers. When we discussed the rules and the boundaries of the shapes we found that allowed more. We also concluded that squares are also rectangles. We are going with 232. But there is probably more."
Class 4T, Kaimes School
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
""There are forty-one rectangles."brown color 33 &yellow color 8."
Wonhang Lee, Korea
Friday, January 27, 2012
Do you have any starting points for mathematical investigations or comments about the investigations we have presented here? Click here to enter your ideas.
A mathematical investigation is quite different to other mathematical activities.
The best investigations are open ended and allow students to choose the way they
work and how they record their findings. It is one of the few occasions when
'going off on a tangent' is not only acceptable but actively encouraged (within
reason).
Students may ask for 'the answers' but this supposes that the activity is
closed. Investigations can always be extended by varying the initial
instructions or asking the question 'what if...?'. Sometimes students point out
that the instructions are ambiguous and can be interpreted in different ways.
This is fine and the students are encouraged to explain how they interpreted the
instructions in their report.
Younger students may benefit from a writing frame when producing the reports
of their investigations. Teachers may suggest sections or headings such as
Introduction, Interpretation, Research, Working and Conclusion or something
similar.