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Instructions for Assembling a Tangram Swan
Admittedly, of all the Chinese puzzles tangrams are the most common and popular. Tangrams is somehow like a puzzle which was innovated in China some many years back and is usually made of seven flat pieces. The seven shapes include two small triangles, a parallelogram, one medium triangle, a square and two large triangles. The purpose of the game is to use the tangram to make different images. Comment by Emily Hoffman: “Invented”?
Apparently, the rules of the tangram are very simple and easy to interpret and understand. Some of the rules of the tangram state that a person must utilize the seven shapes to solve the puzzle. Additionally, the shape developed from the tangram should not overlap and also every design is required to touch at least one other design.
Undoubtedly, when assembling a tangram swan manually someone must start by creating a tangram but when assembling through cyber tangrams, the tangram is already provided and someone is only required to choose the best. Some of the tools which are required in making tangram manually include computer paper, scissors, ruler, glue, and cardboard.
The process of making a tangram helps someone to develop some important skills like the ability to understand instructions since tangram making involve a series of instructions and procedures. Additionally, through tangram making someone is able to develop skill of making accurate and perfect measurements. Moreover, it helps someone to develop the skill of geometric shapes since a tangram consist of several geometric shapes which include parallelogram, square and triangle. Furthermore, someone also acquires skills on how to safely use some tools like scissors, knife, glue and other tools which are used in tangram making. Comment by Emily Hoffman: This lengthy report-style introduction is really not needed. You can just tell the user that they’ll be assembling the swan and what materials they’ll need to do so.
Procedure
The process of making a tangram swan through cyber tangrams is simple since someone just needs to choose the best tangram from the computer. In my case, I choose the tangram below.
1 tangram
The procedure of making a tangram swan is as follow
1. Place upside down the large blue shaped triangle to the corner on the bottom left using the left click button and the pointer of the computer. Comment by Emily Hoffman: I think this will prove very confusing to the reader because earlier, the instruction set says it will use the paper method, yet the steps are written as if the user is at a computer to assemble the swan.
2. Place the large orange triangle above the initial triangle which you started with and which is blue in color. The longest side of the orange triangle should be placed facing toward the right, hence smartly joining the initial blue triangle. By completing this you will have completed making the back section of the tangram swan.
3. Place the yellow parallelogram on the section which looks like the swan’s neck. This is done by placing the pointer on the shape and left click. After left-clicking moves the pointer to the section which looks like the swan’s neck.
4. Place the purple triangle on the bottom section of the swan’s neck
5. Place the pointer on the red triangle and left click to select it. Then hold the left click button and move the pointer to the top space. The red triangle should be placed pointing toward the left.
6. Place the large triangle which is pink in color at the bottom section, thus filling the gap next to the triangle which is blue in color.
7. Finally, use the remaining shape to complete the puzzle.
Final Check
After following the above instruction on how to make a tangram swan, here is a summary on how the swan should look like.
Tangram puzzle 98 : Swan 2 - Visit http://www.tangram-channel.com/ to see the solution to this Tangram
Comment by Emily Hoffman: I like that you include an image of the finished product.
· The bottom of the swan should be pink and blue in color. Since it is made by both pink and blue triangle respectively.
· The back section of the swan should be orange in color because it is made of the orange triangle.
· The neck section of the swan should be yellow and purple in color since it is made of the parallelogram and triangle respectively.
· The top section of the swan should be red in color.
References
Moffatt, K. (2014). Teaching with a smart board evaluating the use of a smart board to teach transformation geometry using Super Tangrams.
Read, R. C. (2014). Tangrams. Dover Publications.
Siew, N. M., & Abdullah, S. (2013). Learning geometry in a large-enrollment class: Do tangrams help in developing students’ geometric thinking. British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 2(3), 239-259.