Zearn Math Grade 1, Mission 5: Identifying, Composing, and Partitioning Shapes
In this unit, your child identifies shapes by their features, puts shapes together to make new ones, and splits shapes into halves and fourths. They also tell time to the hour and half hour, using what they know about halves. This follows the numbers to 40 unit and leads into place value and adding to 100.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
What is my child learning in Mission 5?
- Naming shapes by attributes such as number of sides and corners, and knowing size, color, and position do not change a shape. Learn more: What makes a triangle a triangle
- Composing new shapes, like a rectangle from two squares or a bigger cube from smaller cubes. Learn more: Building bigger shapes from smaller ones
- Partitioning circles and rectangles into halves and fourths, and seeing that a fourth is smaller than a half. Learn more: Halves and quarters of circles and rectangles
- Reading clocks to the hour and half hour, connecting half past to the minute hand going halfway around. 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
- Cut a paper circle into halves, then fourths. Ask your child which pieces are bigger and why more pieces means smaller pieces.
- Use blocks or cereal boxes to build a robot. Ask your child to name the shapes, like cubes and rectangular prisms, as you build.
- Point out the clock at half past an hour and ask how far around the minute hand has gone, then name the time.
Where kids can get stuck
- Calling a square that is turned on its corner a diamond, not a square.
- Cutting a shape into four parts of different sizes and calling them fourths.
- Reading 6:30 as 7:30, because the short hand has moved past the 6.
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.
- side
- A straight line that makes up part of a shape's edge.
- vertex
- A corner, the point where two sides meet. More than one are vertices.
- compose
- Put shapes together to make a new, bigger shape.
- cube
- A solid shape with 6 square faces that are all the same size.
- equal shares
- Parts of a whole that are all exactly the same size.
- half
- One of 2 equal shares of a whole.
- fourth
- One of 4 equal shares of a whole, also called a quarter.
- half past
- Thirty minutes after the hour, when the minute hand points to 6.
Ready to build your child’s confidence with shapes and halves?
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.
Join the club
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 Zearn Math Grade 1 Mission 5 cover?
Zearn Math Grade 1 Mission 5 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.