Math Expressions Grade 1, Unit 6: Geometry, Time, and Equal Shares
In this unit, your child names shapes by their attributes, builds new shapes from smaller ones, splits shapes into equal shares, and tells time to the hour and half hour. Halves of a circle connect to half past on a clock. This follows two-digit addition and leads into comparing and measuring length.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
What is my child learning in Unit 6?
- Explaining why a shape is a triangle, square, or rectangle by counting sides and corners, not by looking at color or size. Learn more: What makes a triangle a triangle
- Building new shapes from smaller ones, like a hexagon from triangles, and naming the shapes used. Learn more: Building bigger shapes from smaller ones
- Splitting circles and rectangles into halves and fourths and describing the whole as two halves or four fourths. Learn more: Halves and quarters of circles and rectangles
- Reading the hour and minute hands to tell time to the hour and half hour, and writing it as 4:00 or 4:30. Learn more: Telling time to the hour and half hour
Sample questions to try together
These are real questions from our practice. Tap the speaker to hear one read aloud, or the light bulb for a hint, and talk about the answer together.
Question 1 of 3
What must be true for a shape to be a triangle?
- It must have 3 straight sides.
- It must be blue.
- It must be big.
How you can help
- Fold a square piece of paper in half two different ways, side to side and corner to corner. Ask your child if both show halves and why.
- Ask your child to read the clock at meals, like 12:00 at lunch or 5:30 at dinner, and explain where each hand points.
- Build a house shape with blocks or cut paper, a square and a triangle, and ask what shapes they used.
Where kids can get stuck
- Writing 4:30 as 5:30, because at half past the hour hand is between 4 and 5.
- Mixing up the hands, reading the long minute hand as the hour.
- Saying a square cut corner to corner is not in halves, because the halves are triangles.
Practice makes perfect
Bobby's Math Club has practice problems that adapt to your child’s level, each with a detailed explanation and an easy-to-follow video, so your child can build confidence in these skills one step at a time.
Words your child will hear
- attribute
- A feature of a shape, like how many sides or corners it has.
- hexagon
- A closed shape with 6 straight sides and 6 corners.
- equal shares
- Parts of a whole that are all exactly the same size.
- halves
- The 2 equal shares that make one whole.
- fourth
- One of 4 equal shares of a whole, also called a quarter.
- quarter
- Another name for a fourth, one of 4 equal shares.
- hour hand
- The short hand on a clock that points to the hour.
- half past
- Thirty minutes after the hour, when the minute hand points to 6.
Want to help your child master shapes and telling time?
In Bobby's Math Club, your child practices these skills at just the right level, with a hint when they need one, a clear explanation after every question, and kid-friendly videos. Unlimited practice is free.
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Written by Robert “Bobby” Barnett
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner’s Needs, and the father of two elementary-school math learners. He uses Bobby’s Math Club with his own kids a few times every week. Learn more or contact Bobby.
Which math standards does Math Expressions Grade 1 Unit 6 cover?
Math Expressions Grade 1 Unit 6 covers these math standards. Each one links to what it means, sample questions, and teaching strategies.
For teachers: Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence. Learn how Bobby's Math Club can help your students grow.