Tangram Tales

The tangram puzzle originated in China hundreds of years ago and has been a favorite shape challenge around the world.

Assign students a tangram puzzle to solve and then find more in Curriculum > Math > and provide tangram puzzles for students to solve.

To inspire students to create their own shapes, read Grandfather Tang's Story by Ann Tompert. The grandfather in this tale, rearranges tangram shapes to represent the characters and events in the story.the story.

Then, ask students to use the puzzle pieces to create their own tangram shape puzzle. As they begin putting pieces together, encourage them to move from abstract to recognizable composite shapes.

Print student pages and have them trace the outline of their composite shape on paper to create a new tangram puzzle. Trade with classmates and work together on more difficult shapes.

To add a literacy component, ask students to write or orally give directions for solving their puzzle. They can also tell a story about their tangram shape.

Combine into a class book to print or share digitally. Use a combination of text and oral storytelling that matches the level of your readers.