by Middle School Math Moments

4th – 7th Grade

Use pentominoes to get your math class discussing, problem solving, persisting, and thinking! Students really have fun with pentominoes, and the great part about the “fun” is that they are having fun thinking and solving a problem (which they don’t seem to realize!).

I’ve used the activity with a very wide range of students and it has quickly given me valuable information about my new students (I do this on the first day or two of math class). This type of problem solving is accessible to all students, and provides a great opportunity for teachers to observe who’s willing to share ideas, who sits back and watches, how students speak to each other, how well they can verbalize their thoughts, and so on.

The activity is very “simple” – fit the pentominoes into the “frames,” leaving no gaps and having nothing sticking beyond the edges of the frame (not as easy as it sounds:)

There are 3 different sized sets of pentominoes in this product, with 3 different sized frames for them to be fit into.

These pentominoes do need to be copied (I’d recommend using card stock), cut, and laminated. There are frames provided that should be laminated as well.
There are colored pentominoes and black and white ones, in case you want to copy onto colored card stock.

Enjoy the exploration!
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You might also like:
6th Grade Math Resource Bundle – resources for the entire year.
Common Core Daily Math Warm Ups for Grade 6
Fold It Ups and Notes for Math Concepts
Footloose Math! 6th Grade Bundle
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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pentomino-Exploration-1346545

 

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