In this activity students will investigate the properties of 3D shapes further by considering the faces of the shapes. You will need solid 3D shapes for the students to explore, for example, cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, and cylinders.
Revise the use of the packaging descriptions from the previous task by modelling an example using the words from your vocabulary chart.
Introduce solid shapes, for example cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms etc. These shapes will need to be labelled with their names. Hand these out for students to handle and explore. Get students to describe their shapes to a partner, encouraging them to use the vocabulary on the chart.
Adaptation for ESOL students: Listen for the target language. Prompt if necessary and maybe revise. Spend some time discussing the names of the shapes. What is a prism? Why is this one called a triangular prism? Write the names and point them out on the vocabulary chart each time they are used. Add any that are not there, maybe make a different chart for the names of shapes and use plenty of examples of these. For example a prism was probably not among the shapes of the packages. This shape will need to be explored with many examples given to establish what a prism is. Have some different prism shapes and some shapes not prisms. Spend time modeling the word and have children identify what a prism is and the kinds of prisms. Do the same with cylinders - and cubes if necessary.
Note: You may have to spend the rest of the lesson on this vocabulary and begin the next part next day. Do not hurry the students as this vocabulary is vital for further study. Listen and judge their confidence with the new language.
Give students a 3D solid shape and ask them to trace around the faces to investigate the shapes of the faces of their shape.
Ask students to write a description of the drawings using the maths vocabulary.
Adaptation for ESOL students: This is another chance to check the confidence of students in using the vocabulary. Students could then create their own designs, for example robots, by drawing around the faces of the 3D solid shapes. Provide a chart for the students with a picture of the 3D solid, names of the 3D solid, number of edges and faces.
Adaptation for ESOL students: This will further reinforce the vocabulary. Students may need regular attention drawn to the chart before learning task 3 with quick teacher led games such as covering the name of the shape and having students see if they remember it, or saying Is this shape a cylinder? Tell me how you know? Or similar recycling of the vocabulary.
Published on: 09 Jan 2018
