Tangram Stories
April 2004

After studying a variety of geometry concepts, our class read Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tompert.  The story utilizes tangrams which are ancient Chinese puzzles that utilize seven geometric pieces referred to as tans. When creating illustrations using tans, all seven pieces must be used, they must touch, and they may not overlap.  After reading the story, the students created their own stories that utilized a minimum of five tangram illustrations.

The Great Adventure Missing Pet Dog The Trip
The Hawk & the Tootsie Roll Turtle Needs a Home A Fine Dinner
The Missing Cat The Animal Lover The Old Man & the Dog
At the Track The Lost Fish The Little Girl & Her Father
Father's Birthday Present The Doggie's Diamonds Nature's Revenge
The Warder & the Wolf The Lonely Animals The Upside Down Circus
The Family Restaurant The Lost Alien The Crazy Circus
Sally's Silly Barn Sam the Spectacular The Lonely Dragon
  The Outdoorsman  

This project is used to evaluate the following South Dakota Content Standards:
Grade 5 Communication/Language Arts
Goal 2-Writing
Indicator 1- Students will use appropriate mechanics, usage, and conventions of language.
 Benchmark 1-select words that are expressive, content appropriate, and precise to provide clarity and focus for the reader.

Indicator 2- Students will use appropriate style, organization, and form in technical, transactional, creative, and personal writing.
Benchmark 1-create various examples of expressive writing, e.g., narratives which present ideas, details, imagination.

Grade 5 Math
Goal 2-Geometry
Indicator 2-Analyze geometric figures from a variety of perspectives.
Benchmark 3-determine ways to transform images of objects.