Properties of shape - Sort 3D shapes - Presentation

In Lesson 13, students delve into the world of three-dimensional shapes, exploring and classifying them based on various properties. The lesson encourages students to recall the characteristics of 3D shapes they have previously learned, such as the number of faces, edges, and vertices, as well as the shape of the faces themselves. Students are prompted to discuss these properties and consider how they can be used as criteria for sorting a variety of 3D shapes. The lesson includes a series of activities where students are tasked with grouping shapes and finding additional classroom objects that fit into each category they create.

Further into the lesson, students are challenged with Activity 2, where they must think critically about how to group shapes in alternative ways. For example, they may sort shapes by those with flat faces versus those with curved faces. This activity encourages students to look at the shapes from different perspectives and understand that there are multiple valid methods for classification. The lesson also includes reasoning exercises, such as determining whether a cube can be considered a type of cuboid, and exploring the concepts of stacking and rolling in relation to shape properties. Independent work tasks reinforce these concepts, asking students to cut and stick shapes into the correct categories and justify their sorting decisions. The lesson culminates in a discussion where students reflect on their sorting methods and consider how they can further categorise their shapes, enhancing their understanding of 3D geometric properties.