1. Tangrams: Seven Magic Shapes

2. A Little History  Originated in China  Its invention is unrecorded in history.  The word “tangram” may have come from the Tanka people who were traders who played this puzzle and past it on via sailors.  The word might come from an obscure English word “tramgram” which means puzzle or trinket.  Became popular during the 19th century in Europe and America.

3. More History  Fancy tangram sets made of ivory, jade, and other fine materials soon appeared.  Others were made from fired clay, or wood.

4. Tangrams are puzzles made of:  Seven shapes  5 triangles  1 square  1 parallelogram

5. The Great Tangram HOAX!  1903 - The Eighth Book of Tan was written by Sam Loyd  Loyd convinced people that the game was invented by the God Tan 4,000 years ago.  Later this was found to be a colossal hoax.  However Loyd greatly profited from his deceit.

6. Tangrams Today!  These challenging puzzles continue to entertain and frustrate.  Attracts people of varied interests - quilters, puzzle fanatics, storytellers and more.

7. Tangram Trivia  Lewis Carroll was reputed to have been a huge fan of tangrams. He was believed to possess a Chinese book made of tissue paper with 323 tangram designs.  Edgar Allan Poe and Napoleon were also known to be huge fans.

8. Classroom Uses  Used to reinforce geometry and ratios.  Teach basic math in an interesting manner.  Integrate literature in your classroom.  Wonderful online interactive puzzles.

9. Tangram Books for Classroom Use  Grandfather Tang’s Story by Ann Tompert  Presto Chango: Storytelling Class Book Making and Problem Solving With Tangrams by Anne Linehan  The Adventures of the Beautiful Princess in Triangle Land by Gregory Hartswick  Three Pigs, One Wolf, and Seven Magic Shapes by Grace Maccarone  Magic Window story

10. Technology - Time to Explore  http://www.kidscom.com/games/tangram/tang ram.html http://www.kidscom.com/games/tangram/tang ram.html  http://www.tangram.i-p.com/ http://www.tangram.i-p.com/  http://cs.bmcc.cc.or.us/mth213/Labs/online% 20tangrams.htm http://cs.bmcc.cc.or.us/mth213/Labs/online% 20tangrams.htm  http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexampl es/chap4/4.4/part2.htm http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexampl es/chap4/4.4/part2.htm

11. More Technology  http://www.logicville.com/tangram.htm http://www.logicville.com/tangram.htm  http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/ar ea/tangram.html http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/ar ea/tangram.html  http://www.enchantedlearning.com/craft s/chinesenewyear/tangram/ http://www.enchantedlearning.com/craft s/chinesenewyear/tangram/