Square It

Problem, Clue, Solution, Teachers' note

This resource may not be final.

Play against the computer or against a friend. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined to form a square.

Lesson idea. Players take it in turns to click on a dot on the grid - first player's dots will be red and the second player's (or computer's) will be blue. The winner is the first to have four dots that can be joined by straight lines to form a square.

Teaching approach. This lesson idea is about thinking strategically^(ta).

The collection of NRICH activities are designed to develop students capacity to work as a mathematician. Exploring, questioning, working systematically, visualising, conjecturing, explaining, generalising, justifying, proving are all at the heart of mathematical thinking.

This particular resource has been adapted from an original NRICH resource. NRICH promotes the learning of mathematics through problem solving. NRICH provides engaging problems, linked to the curriculum, with support for teachers in the classroom. Working on these problems will introduce students to key mathematical process skills. They offer students an opportunity to learn by exploring, noticing structure and discussing their insights, which in turn can lead to conjecturing, explaining, generalising, convincing and proof.

The Teachers’ Notes provided focus on the pedagogical implications of teaching a curriculum that aims to provoke mathematical thinking. They assume that teachers will aim to do for students only what they cannot yet do for themselves. As a teacher, consider how this particular lesson idea can provoke mathematical thinking. How can you support students' exploration? How can you support conjecturing, explaining, generalising, convincing and proof?.

Resource details
Title	Square it
Topic
Teaching approach
Learning Objectives	Thinking strategically in geometry
Format / structure
Subject
Age of students / grade
Table of contents
Additional Resources/material needed
Useful information	The resource has been derived from NRICH, and is available here Nrich Square It.
Related ORBIT Wiki Resources
Other (e.g. time frame)
Files and resources to view and download	The following parts are available: Problem, Clue, Solution, Teachers' note. The original problem is available on the NRICH website here.
Acknowledgement
License