Quilts: A Geometry Excursion for Grades 1–2

In this Excursion, students investigate features of shape as they make paper quilts. The class learns about a community of quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama. Students see and discuss a variety of quilts, including ones from their families/community. They use two colors to design several different quilt squares made up of squares and triangles. They choose a favorite quilt square to iterate into a quilt. Class discussion focuses on the shapes students see in their quilts, the way different shapes came together to make other shapes, and any new shapes they see.

3 quilt patterns

This Excursion involves 5 activities, to be done in sequence, and includes links to reproducible resources and a Slide Deck.

Download Quilts Grades 1–2

There were so many more students who we don’t always hear from in math who wanted to talk and were noticing things and were excited to share their learning in a way that just felt really positive and really refreshing.”