Even students in their first year of formal schooling can learn the structure of the rectangular grid. Drawing exercises are a particularly enjoyable way of learning about them.
It is best to start with small grids. Very young students may be able to copy a 2 \(\times\) 1 grid, but a 2 \(\times\) 2 'window' may be more challenging.
Make sure students are aware of the structure of a window, and that they can draw one successfully, before extending the challenge to larger grids.
Suitable activities for drawing attention to the structure of rectangular grids include the following:
- using counters to mark the 'corners' of the grids
- drawing grids assembled from single squares
- cutting grids into rows or columns, reassembling them and then drawing the grid
- copying grids from a drawing or model and then drawing them from memory
- drawing grids on grid paper
- counting the number of squares in grids.
