2nd Grade · Geometry
2.G.A.1: Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes
2.G.A.1 is a 2nd grade Common Core math standard in Geometry. Here’s what it really covers, and how you can help your students learn it.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
The standard
Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces. Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.
In plain words
Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes.
Sample questions from student practice
These questions from Bobby's Math Club are the kinds of questions your students will see. You can try answering them to see what a student might see.
Question 1 of 3
Which of these shapes has exactly three angles?
- Hexagon
- Triangle
- Square
Where students can get stuck
- Recognizing only regular shapes, so refusing to call an uneven six-sided shape a hexagon.
- Thinking a quadrilateral must be a square or rectangle, and leaving out kites and slanted four-sided shapes.
- Losing count of sides or angles by starting and stopping at different corners and counting one twice.
Effective teaching strategies
- Have students mark a start corner with a dot and touch each side once while counting, so no side is counted twice and none is skipped.
- Show a kite, a slanted four-sided shape, and an uneven six-sided shape, and have students count sides and angles to name each one, so names come from attributes and not from neatness.
- Pass around a block or box shaped like a cube and ask students to count its flat faces, so they see that a cube has six equal square faces.
Units that teach this standard
Find where 2.G.A.1 lands in the program you teach. Each unit has a guide written for families. Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence.
Bridges in Mathematics
enVision Mathematics
Eureka Math²
Everyday Mathematics
i-Ready Classroom Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics
Math Expressions
Reveal Math
Don’t see your curriculum? Contact Bobby and we’ll see if we can help!
Share it with families
Families can read Naming triangles, hexagons, cubes, and more for a plain-language look at this skill, with three questions to try together and ideas for helping at home.
Help every student practice geometry at home
In Bobby's Math Club, students practice 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 for every family.
See how it works for teachers
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.