MTTC 103 Elementary Practice 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

When students use pattern blocks to tile their desks with no gaps or overlaps, they are learning the concept of tessellations. Tessellations involve covering a plane with one or more geometric shapes in a way that creates a repeating pattern without gaps or overlaps. This activity helps students understand spatial relationships and the properties of shapes as they manipulate the blocks to fit together perfectly.

Tessellations can incorporate various properties of shapes, such as their angles and sides, providing a rich mathematical experience. Students exploring this concept are also using critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they determine how different shapes can be combined to achieve the desired effect of a tiled surface.

While the other choices pertain to important geometric concepts, they are not specifically focused on the tiling process. Rotations deal with turning shapes around a point, reflections involve flipping shapes over a line, and symmetry refers to the balanced proportions of a shape. None of these concepts capture the essence of covering a surface without gaps and overlaps in the way that tessellations do.