SciREN Lesson Plan Portal

• Name: Sarah Blackwell and Devashi Gulati
• Position and Institution: Department of Mathematics, University of Georgia
• Contact: seblackwell[at]uga.edu and devashi.gulati[at]uga.edu
• Year contributed: 2021

• Grade Level: 6-8
• Georgia Standards of Excellence: MGSE8.G.1, MGSE8.G.2, MGSE8.G.4

This lesson plan gives students a glimpse into what mathematics researchers do in a fun and engaging manner. To make the experience novel a 3D shape, the torus, is introduced by redesigning a familiar game, Tic-Tac-Toe. This upgraded version of Tic-Tac-Toe gets students to think about the torus and its symmetrical properties. It also introduces students to the idea of gluing 2D shapes to make 3D shapes, and visualizing the 3D shape simply by observing the 2D shape. The game “Torus Tic-Tac-Toe” comes from the book The Shape of Space by Jeffery Weeks.

• mathematics
• geometry
• symmetry
• reasoning

• Lesson Plan
• Student Handout
• PowerPoint