MATH CIRCLE ACTIVITY 7 TANGRAM CHALLENGE

 MATH CIRCLE

ACTIVITY 7
TANGRAM CHALLENGE

DATE: 27-11--2025 DAY: Thursday

Objective:

To develop students’ spatial reasoning, creativity, and understanding of geometric relationships through hands-on exploration with Tangram puzzles.

Purpose:

To help students recognize geometric shapes and symmetry while enhancing problem-solving and visualization skills by recreating and designing figures using seven Tangram pieces.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this activity, students will be able to:

• Understand how shapes can combine to form new composite figures.
  
  

• Recognize and apply the concepts of symmetry, congruence, and spatial reasoning.
  
  

• Strengthen problem-solving and creative thinking through geometric puzzles.
  
  

• Create their own tangram-based designs using imagination and mathematical precision.
  
  

Skills Developed:

🔹 Spatial Reasoning
🔹 Geometric Visualization
🔹 Logical and Creative Thinking
🔹 Problem-Solving

Procedure:

1. The teacher introduced the history and concept of the Tangram puzzle — a Chinese dissection puzzle made up of seven geometric pieces (tans).
   
   

2. Each student received a Tangram set (or paper cut-outs) containing:
   
   

• 2 Large Triangles 1 Medium Triangle 2 Small Triangles
  1 Square 1 Parallelogram
  
  

3. Students were first asked to recreate simple shapes such as a house, cat, or bird using all seven pieces without overlapping.
   
   

4. The teacher then displayed silhouettes of various Tangram patterns for students to reproduce.
   
   

5. As an extension activity, students designed their own creative tangram figures and shared them with the class.
   
   

6. The class discussed how the shapes fit together and how symmetry plays a key role in the puzzle.
   
   

Teacher’s Observations:

• Students displayed enthusiasm and creativity in arranging the Tangram pieces.
  
  

• The activity encouraged them to visualize geometric relationships and apply reasoning.
  
  

• Many students showed excellent teamwork when comparing and refining their designs.
  
  

• The hands-on experience successfully linked art, geometry, and problem-solving in a fun way.
  
  

Student’s Feedback / Reflections:

“I really liked making animals and objects using the Tangram pieces. At first, it was hard to fit all seven pieces correctly, but once I understood how the shapes worked, it became fun! I even created my own Tangram pattern. This activity helped me understand symmetry and geometry better.”
— By __________

Students actively participating in the “Tangram Challenge” during the Mathematics Circle Activity — recreating and designing creative figures using seven Tangram pieces.