Gabriella sees a shape in the book The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds. She identifies it as a square and explains that it is a square by tracing its sides. When prompted, she counts the sides and says there are four.

Luis, a dual language learner, is shown a shape. He says it is a square. When asked how he knows it is a square, he says it is red. When asked how many sides it has, he counts “1, 2, 3, 4” but points to the corners, not the sides. When asked how many corners, he counts “1, 2, 3, 4” but points to the sides.  He seems to have difficulty with the words, “corners” and “sides.”  When the square is turned 45 degrees, he says it is no longer a square but does not say what it is. In this case, Luis seems to be struggling with the basic idea that change in orientation does not change the essence of a shape. 

Alicia is shown a prototypical triangle (an equilateral triangle). She says it is a triangle and when asked how she knows, she explains that it has three sides. When that triangle is turned, Alicia says it is upside down but it is still a triangle. She turns the paper to show she is correct. Alicia is then shown a non-prototypical triangle (an obtuse triangle). Alicia is not able to name it. The interviewer suggests it is a square and Alicia explains why that is not a square. When asked again what shape it is, she says it “looks like the stuff for the top of a house.”

Patchett is asked to identify the triangles on the Triangle Sheet (found at the bottom of the Shape Assessment Protocol). He identifies an equilateral triangle and colors it. He then explains that a shape with a curved top is a not a triangle, but a skinny shape is a triangle because it has a point. He colors the second triangle. A longer video of Patchett can be found here.  

Laura Jane is shown three fairy tale princesses and told which kind of shape each like. She then sorts red circles, squares, and triangles, giving the correct shape to each princess.  At the end she is given a triangular green pattern block. Despite the change in color, Laura Jane gives the triangle to the princess who likes triangles.

Laura Jane is given a picture of a boat that can be formed using pattern blocks. She correctly places many of the pattern blocks and finds it easy to identify which ones she needs. However, she struggles to rotate a red trapezoid and places it inaccurately. In the end, she forms the boat, placing most pattern blocks correctly, while making some errors.

Veronica reads the book Shape Reshape! By Silvia Borando. She examines the green and red rectangles on one page, commenting on their sizes and thinking about how they could be reshaped to form “jumpy things.” In turning the page, she sees they are reshaped to form nine frogs.