iPad Lesson Plan – Shape Detectives

Shape Detectives: A Fun iPad Lesson Plan

Are you looking for an iPad Lesson Plan? Then Shape Detectives might be exactly what you're looking for. I found this fun lesson plan idea on Twitter and wanted to share it with all of you. I watch social media closely and it's my job to share some of the hot topics on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other outlets that teachers, principals, students, and parents are contributing.

I stumbled across the Shape Detective lesson plan idea thanks to one of SimpleK12's Teacher Learning Community's presenters, Shelly Terrell. She posted it on her personal Twitter account, linking to the teacher who came up with the original idea, Kristen Wideen, on her blog Mrs. Wideen. You can see the full article on the idea here, including a list of step-by-step instructions, a short video explaining the project, and a QR code you can share with students to give them easy access to the video.

The project is fairly easy to set up. Have students take pictures of a spot in the classroom with lots of shapes. Have them use the Draw and Tell app to select the picture and outline various shapes they found in the image. Wideen also suggests having students record why they chose the shape they did (and also have them name the shape they found) and to chose both 2D and 3D shapes.

What do you think of this lesson plan idea? Have you ever used something similar in the past? What else might you add to this lesson plan?

Tori Pakizer is the Social Media Editor at SimpleK12.com. She writes regularly about the use of educational technology in K-12 classrooms, and specializes in how teachers use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and other social media. You can follow Tori and SimpleK12 on Twitter @SimpleK12. If you have ideas for using social media in schools, please send your information or tip to editor@simplek12.com.