Flash Project with Tangrams
Space and shape - Numeracy strategy

The concept for this project is for students to work in groups to tell a story using Tangrams - first using coloured card with the figures displayed in sequence on a black board then as a computer display with sound using Macromedia's Flash. (This is made easy by the use of a predesigned template)

An example of such a story can be seen here which uses over twenty tangrams.

Making a set of Tangram pieces:

Mark out a piece of card as shown and cut out the seven shapes marked in green

These seven shapes are always used keeping the same proportions between shapes.

Some suggestions

Print copies of the figure at the bottom (with eight of these squares shown) onto coloured card in seven different colours. Assemble packs of the seven shapes in different colours - children can make willing helpers!.

Watch the Tangram movie either live at www.tygh.demon.co.uk/tan/tan.htm or played from the file tangeoff.swf which we will send you if requested but you can capture it by looking in the Temporary folder - do a search for the file name and you'll find it as long as you've not closed your browser after viewing the movie from the above site (You can do this with a browser by choosing file/open making sure that you set "files of type" to "All files")

 

Start off by making the figures shown here, which are taken from the Flash presentation. Encourage children to make up their own ideas of what figures were making the characters run (if you're following the ideas from my presentation) - anything goes. If the child can see a likeness - that's it! It can be very difficult to get a close likeness - this takes me hours! A teacher's rough ideas could be a good starting point.

They are drawn half size from the pieces created as above

Further examples of Tangrams are best obtained from the book

Tangrams, 330 puzzles by Ronald C Read
Dover Publications 1965 ISBN 486 21483 4

Other reference books and examples of Tangrams are listed on the web site
www.ex.ac.uk/cimt/puzzles/tangrams/tangint.htm which is also an excellent site for more ideas.

Computer work

The working Flash file that created the tangram animations can be obtained from Geoff Dellow at geoff@tygh.co.uk . This is amongst a group of copyright templates which can be used in the classroom on payment of a small fee. Follow the instructions given in the file!

 

You can either get the students to rotate and flip using Modify/Transform/Scale and Rotate - a good excercise in learning angles or more easily hold the shft button down and the snap engaged (magnet on toolbar) while rotating and the shapes "click" into place every 45 deg

Feedback on how a project went with children would be welcomed by me.

 

Geoff Dellow (geoff@tygh.co.uk) - - back to "students