Spatial reasoning, which involves "building and manipulating mental representations of two-and three-dimensional objects and perceiving an object from different perspectives" is a critical aspect of geometric thinking and reasoning. Through building, drawing, and analyzing two-and three-dimensional shapes, students develop a foundation…

Describes an activity for children of any age to develop spatial sense and explore the effects of transforming, combining, subdividing, and changing geometric figures. Students analyze empty cereal boxes opened flat to determine the specific shape, how it opens and closes, to check maps or sketches against the actual geometry of the box, and write…

Presents a problem of tetras made with four cubes, mathematical ideas involved in this problem, and guiding questions for teachers. (KHR)

Describes how to deal with students' structuring of rectangular arrays of squares and other two-dimensional regions. Presents activities that connect spatial structuring to the development of multiplicative thinking. (ASK)

Presents interesting activities to develop mental imagery and the ability to transform these images. Concludes that using images facilitates mathematical thought in numerical and geometric settings. (ASK)

Describes a successful mother/daughter math club started by a third grade teacher which is designed to help participants increase positive feelings about mathematics; further develop problem-solving skills, especially involving construction and spatial visualization tasks; and become familiar with women's contributions to the world of mathematics.…

Features activities designed to enhance students' spatial reasoning ability combining geometry, language arts, and visual arts. (ASK)