Substrand	Shape and space
Purpose	Predicting shapes Transforming shapes Drawing shapes Location
CSF level suggested	1–2
Equipment	Large quantities of blocks such as Pattern Blocks and Cuisenaire blocks Cards to represent quilt size (12 x 8 cm)

The Task

Students were shown several photos of patchwork quilts. The class discussed the shapes used to make the quilt patterns, and the teacher drew attention to the way the shapes fitted together without gaps.

Students were given a small piece of card to represent the quilt size. They were to use blocks to make a small quilt pattern on the card and then draw their design. They were also asked to describe how they made the pattern.

Look For

• complexity of design
• attention to symmetry or pattern
• ability to tessellate design (no gaps)
• ability to copy design accurately
• ability to describe overall pattern, shapes used, and how shapes fit together

Cain (Year 1) built a very small symmetrical design with triangles and squares that did not fill the card. His drawing showed awareness of the two shapes used, though he had trouble forming corners and tessellating the shapes. His description was general "I used 3 squares, I used 3 triangles, I did it on the other side." Suggests Level 1 in the substrand.

Tara (Year 1) used triangles to construct a tessellating border pattern around the rectangular card. She was able to draw this, though the triangles varied greatly in size. She wrote, "I turned that upside down triangle." When asked to explain her pattern further she said, "By lots of triangles. Put two beside each other with a gap to put the upside down one." Suggests Level 2 in the substrand.

Mark (Year 1) used triangles and rectangles to cover the given area. His tessellated design was symmetrical, and his drawn copy was quite accurate. He described the construction, "Use triangles and rectangles. Put two triangles together to make a square in the corners. The rectangles are the same on both sides but opposite." Suggests Level 2 in the substrand.