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A Cloak for the Dreamer
Aileen Friedman
A Marilyn Burns Brainy Day Book/1994
0-590-48987-9
Grade Levels for Recommended Use: Sixth Grade – Eighth Grade
(7.6) Geometry and spatial reasoning. The student compares and classifies two- and threedimensional figures using geometric vocabulary and properties.
(A) use angle measurements to classify pairs of angles as complementary or
supplementary
Brief Summary: Ivan and Alex want to be tailors like their father, but youngest brother Misha
dreams of travel. When each son must fashion a cloak for the archduke, Ivan and Alex sew
their own cloaks, one using rectangles of fabric the other using squares and triangles. But
Misha's disastrous cloak of circles demonstrates the geometrical concept that shapes must
have angles to fit together. Seeing that Misha's heart lies elsewhere, the tailor frees his son
to travel the world. As a farewell gift, the tailor presents Misha with the fateful cloak,
whose circles he has cut into snug-fitting hexagons and then re-stitched.
Materials Needed:
pairs of complementary cards (provided at end of lesson plan)
scratch paper to record answers and a writing utensil
Suggested Activity:
Teacher reads aloud A Cloak for the Dreamer. Uses overhead so all the students can see the
illustrations.
After reading, show students example of Misha’s cloak made out of construction paper circles–
already made by teacher.
Reinforce students on complimentary and supplementary angles. We know that a circle has no
angles and equals 3600. Squares have 900 angles; two angles are complementary if they add
up to 900 (a right angle). Two angles are supplementary if they add up to 1800. A straight
line is equal to 1800.
Students need to be in groups for this activity: a game of memory.
 Pass out cards to each group (works best with up to groups of 4).
 Group members must take turns flipping over cards to match complimentary angles.
 As they find pairs of complimentary angles, one person in the group needs to record the
sets of angles.
 Next, using the cards face up, have the students come up with their own groups (hint:
groups of three cards) of supplementary angles and record these on a different sheet. This
time a different group member needs to record. Notice a pattern developing?

If students want to practice the game on their own, at home or in the computer lab:
http://math123xyz.com/Nav/Geometry/Angle_Puzzle.php
http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/tess/tess.htm
Use this website as a follow-up class activity – computer lab day – students can make their own
tessellations using squares!
When all students have finished their own tessellation patterns, combine all of them together into
one large quilt (or cloak)!
Adapted by Lindsay Moore, 2010
sources from websites:
http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/tess/tess.htm
http://math123xyz.com/Nav/Geometry/Angle_Puzzle.php
Created by Lindsay Moore 2010