2
FOCUS ON
LITERATURE
Common Attributes of
3-D Objects
Lesson Goals
Math Note
When students are learning
about 3-D objects, it is important
to provide many examples of
each object so that students do
not come to associate an object
with non-defining attributes, such
as size and colour. It is also
important for students to understand that, in the real world, they
are sometimes only able to see
parts of an object (e.g., opentopped box, open-ended
cylinder).
Poster 10A
The Supermarket
Determine the differences between two given pre-sorted sets, and
explain the sorting rule.
Identify common attributes of 3-D objects from given sets of the same
shape.
[C, CN, R, V]
for SS6
Materials
Poster 10A: The Supermarket
collection of 3-D objects (cubes, spheres, cones, cylinders, pyramids)
The Village of Round and Square Houses or another book about 3-D
structures, such as Block City
chart paper
For each student or group of students:
Activity 7.4: My 3-D Object (page 40)
GETTING STARTED
10–15
min
Display Poster 10A: The Supermarket. Have students talk about their
own experiences at supermarkets or variety stores, focusing on what is
sold there. Direct the discussion to the shapes of the 3-D objects on the
poster. Hold up a 3-D object (e.g., cylinder), and ask students to find the
same shape in the poster. How are the two [cylinders] similar? How
are they different? Repeat for spheres, cones, and pyramids. If necessary, point out any 3-D objects that are hard to find (e.g., the pyramidshaped frozen treat in the sign).
WORKING ON IT
25–30
min
Read The Village of Round and Square Houses (or another book about
3-D structures) to students, and discuss the 3-D objects shown in the creation of the round houses and the square houses. (If using another book,
discuss the cylinders and cubes shown in the structures.) Display two
pre-sorted groups of four cylinders and four cubes. How are the two
groups different? What is my sorting rule? Explain that these two
shapes were used to build the bottom half of the round and square
houses.
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Chapter 7: 3-D Objects
NEL
Activity 7.4
Name:
Date:
My 3-D Object
My object is a ______________________________________________.
What does your object look like?
Why does your object make a good house?
40
Activity 7.4
Arrange students in groups of three or four. Provide each group of students with one cylinder and one cube. Help students connect their 3-D
objects to the story by asking, Which shape makes a good house? Have
students discuss their answers in their group. Then have each group of
students choose either the cube or the cylinder, and provide a copy of
Activity 7.4. Ask students to visualize how their object could be used to
build a house (without a roof). Then have students explain their
reasoning: Why is your cylinder or cube a good shape for building a
house? You may also choose to have each student complete Activity 7.4
independently, rather than having students complete it as a group.
Copyright © 2008 by Nelson Education Ltd.
Opportunities for Feedback
What to Look For
What to Do
Watch and listen for indications that students can
• identify a sorting rule for pre-sorted groups (What’s
the sorting rule? How do you know?)
• If students are having difficulty identifying a sorting
rule, show them one cylinder and one cube. Ask them
to think about what is the same and what is different
about the two objects, to help them clarify what the
sorting rule may be.
• If students need some help identifying attributes of 3-D
objects, choose a 3-D object (e.g., cube), state an
attribute of the object (e.g., it has faces), and have
students point to this attribute on the object.
• identify attributes of 3-D objects (Tell me about this
[cube]. What makes it a [cube]?)
REFLECT AND CONNECT
“I’m finished …”
Students who finish early can
draw a picture of the house they
imagined, with either a round or
square base. You can post students’ pictures on a classroom
display.
10–15
min
Invite the groups of students who chose the cylinder to share, one group
at a time, the attributes of a cylinder. Record the attributes on chart
paper. Then ask, Which attributes were mentioned more than once?
Repeat with the groups of students who chose the cube. Invite a volunteer from a group that chose the cylinder to communicate their group’s
reasons why a cylinder is a good shape for building a house. Repeat with
a volunteer from a group that chose the cube. How is what [Leah] and
[Aidan] said the same? How is it different?
Keep Going
Use any of these activities from pages 30 to 33:
• More Practice: Match the Object
• More Practice: Cylinder or Cube?
This image is a placeholder only. It illustrates, in draft form, what
will appear in this spot in the published version of this resource.
NEL
Lesson 2: Common Attributes of 3-D Objects
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