Design a box

Design a box

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about designing, drawing the net and making a 3-D shape.
 
 
medium_Tennis Ball.jpg

 

Practical task

 

Make a box for the new 'Glow in the Dark' tennis ball.

 

Your company has invented a new 'Glow in the Dark" tennis ball.
It is the same size as a normal tennis ball but it glows in the dark.
Your job is to design a cube-shaped box for it.

 

Draw a net pattern on your piece of cardboard that can be cut out in one piece and folded so that it will make a cube-shaped box with a lid to hold the tennis ball.

 

  1. Design the box so that it can hold the tennis ball snugly.

     
  2. Make up a name for the tennis ball and write it on the part of your net pattern that will end up being the lid of your box. Do this before you cut out the net pattern.

     
  3. Show your net pattern to your teacher.

     
  4. Cut your net pattern out in one piece.

     
  5. Fold your net pattern to make the box and use sellotape to stick your box together.
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper and other equipment.
 
Equipment:
1 sheet of A3 card; pencil; ruler; rubber; sellotape; scissors; tennis ball.
  1. Read through all the instructions with the students before they begin the task.
  2. Students must have written the label on the net and had this checked and marked before they cut it out.
  3. Any errors in the net design should be pointed out to students once this stage has been marked so that they can make the necessary alterations before cutting it out.
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Geometry and Measurement, Shape
Key Competencies: 
Thinking
Keywords: 
nets, model construction, length
Description of task: 
In this practical task students design a net for a lidded cardboard cube to hold a tennis ball. They then cut out and construct the cube.
Curriculum Links: 
Key competencies
This resource involves designing, measuring and making a 3-dimensional shape to suit a required purpose. These tasks relate to the Key Competency Thinking.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Geometric thinking, sets 3-4
Measurement sense, set 5
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
A net is drawn that will make a six-sided box which can be cut out as one piece.

A net is drawn that will make a five-sided box which can be cut out in one piece.
The name of the tennis ball has been written so that it ends up on the lid of the box and the writing is up the right way.

Either:

  • The name of the tennis ball has been written on the lid of the box but the writing is up the wrong way.
  • The name of the tennis ball has been written up the right way but it is on the side of the box.
The net has been cut out and folded accurately to form a box in which the tennis ball fits snugly.

The net has been cut out and folded to form a box in which the tennis ball fits.