Once upon a time, there was a little cone named Connie. Connie loved to play with her friends, a couple of cylinders named Cy and Linda. They would often play a game of catch with a cube, rolling it back and forth.

One day, Connie wanted to try something new and suggested they play a game of catch with a curve ball. Cy and Linda were skeptical, but Connie explained that the curve ball would move in a diagonal direction and be much more challenging to catch.

Excited to try this new game, the three friends began to play. However, they quickly realized that catching a curve ball was much harder than they thought. The ball would follow a circular path and they had a hard time anticipating its movement.

Just when they were about to give up, a wise old circle named Carl showed up. Carl offered to help by teaching them about coordinates and degrees. He explained that the ball's movement could be predicted using a formula based on cosine and degrees.

With Carl's guidance, Connie, Cy, and Linda were able to catch the curve ball with ease. They were so grateful for Carl's help that they asked him to join their game. Carl agreed, and the four friends continued to play, laughing and having a great time together.

As the sun started to set, they all agreed that they had a fantastic day. They promised to keep playing and learning together, always finding new ways to have fun. And with a smile on their faces, they said goodbye to each other, ready for their next adventure.

Reflections

1. Who is Connie and what kind of shape is she?
2. Who did Connie play catch with and what did they play with?
3. Why was catching the curve ball difficult for Connie and her friends?
4. Who came to help and what did he teach the friends?
5. What did Connie and her friends learn from playing the game of catch?
6. What is a coordinate and how did Carl use it in the game?
7. What is a degree and how did it help Connie and her friends catch the curve ball?
8. What did Connie and her friends promise to do after the game?
9. Can you think of other fun ways to play with shapes?
10. What lesson did you learn from the story about problem-solving and friendship?