The Greedy Triangle: Geometry Read Aloud

I love books, and I especially love finding books that match what we are studying. What better way to sneak in some content than to read a lovely piece of literature. Unfortunately not all books are the highest quality, and it can be important to see if the book is really worth your time.

As I was talking with my K-2 homeschool coaching cohort, we began talking about ways to sneak more literature into our math lessons. I realized I already had several books on the shelf that we use to read for enjoyment, but I haven't thought about using them intentionally as part of the math lesson. We also discussed how there are so many books out there, it's hard to know which ones will give us the best use of our time.

In an effort to help with those issues, I'm launching a series of posts where we will test out some awesome math literature with even lesson plan resources! Yep! These are books you can use and begin teaching with right away! This month's book is one of my favorites: Marilyn Burns' The Greedy Triangle! (This post does contain affiliate links of which I earn a small commission if purchased.)

The Greedy Triangle is about a triangle who loves all the awesome things it can do: holding up roofs, being slides of pie or sandwiches, and forming the space between an arm on a hip while listening to people's conversations. Over time, the triangle becomes dissatisfied with life and wonders what life would be like if things were different. The triangle visits the shape shifter who gives the triangle an extra side and angle. Each time the triangle sees all the great benefits to the new shape but quickly becomes dissatisfied again until the triangle is almost unrecognizable.

This great book gives plenty of real-life examples of each shapes and opens up the door to plenty of geometry conversations. Students can explore how the shape changes each time and describe its attributes. Students can find other real-life examples and see how they compare. Students are also introduced to tons of great geometry vocabulary.

After reading this great book together, we read it a second time and decided to describe each shape and consider how it changes. We even used this easy graphic organizer to work on vocabulary and the drawing of each shape. \

What other math books would you like to see? If you have some favorites, I would love to include them in our blog series and make some printable resources to go with them! Leave me a comment and I will do my best to share some ideas!

Be sure to grab your free printable resource by entering your information below.

Once you watch the video, be sure to check out this video from the Math with Purpose Video Library that explores plane shapes. Not a member of the Math with Purpose Video Library? You are missing out on 800+ videos to support teachers, parents and students! Find out more by emailing info@mathwithpurpose.com