Making 3D shapes

Making 3D shapes

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about making up 3-D shapes.

Practical task

 
Use the toothpicks, skewers and modelling clay or plasticene to make each of the following shapes.
 
a)
Cube.
 
 
 
b)
Triangle-based pyramid.
 
 
 
c)
Rectangular prism.
 
 
 
d)
Triangular prism.
 
 
Task administration: 
Equipment:
Plasticine or modelling clay; toothpicks; bamboo skewers.
  • You may like to cut the sharp ends off the bamboo skewers so that they are about twice the length of the toothpicks.
  • You may need to demonstrate how to use the equipment to make basic shapes before starting on the 3-dimensional shapes listed below.
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Geometry and Measurement, Shape
Keywords: 
model construction, 3-dimensional shapes
Description of task: 
In this practical task students make four different 3-dimensional objects.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Geometric thinking, sets 3-4
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

a)

 Cube is constructed.

  • 8 vertices
  • 12 edges.

b)

 Triangle-based pyramid is constructed.

  • 4 vertices
  • 6 edges.

c)

 Rectangular prism is constructed:

  • 8 vertices
  • 8 short edges
  • 4 long edges

d)

 Triangular prism is constructed.

  • 6 vertices
  • 3 long edges
  • 6 short edges