Prep Lesson

3D Shapes
Subject:
Maths

DATE:

30/04/2015

Overview: Constructing using familiar 3D

objects

Grade Level:
Foundation (Prep)

Timing:
50 minutes approximately 10 15 minutes per
activity.

Lesson concept:
3D Shapes language and sorting.

Lesson Outcomes:
Today students will apply knowledge of familiar shapes to construct a structure.

Australian Curriculum Content Description:

Students will describe and name familiar 3D objects (ACMMG009) ACARA (2011).

Materials Required:
Video Rosies Walk
Building Cards Sheet
Planning Sheet and drawing materials
Teddy Bear
Towel
Building Blocks
3D Shapes
Common Household materials/3d shapes

Lesson Analysis:
This lesson is the fourth and final 3D
shape lesson in this mathematics unit. It
contains opportunities for formative
assessment and feedback through
observations and questioning. This lesson
consists of three related activities.
Together they allow students various
opportunities to demonstrate knowledge
of 3D shapes and understanding of how
the features of 3D shapes affect their
ability to stack or roll.

Early Years Learning Framework Links to Outcomes:

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners.

Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesizing,
researching and investigating.

Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another.

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.

Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes.

Children use information and communication technologies to access information, investigate ideas and represent their
thinking.

Pre-planning
Considerations:
Prior Knowledge:

Maths Language:
Objects, shapes, three-dimensional, similar, sort, cube, cylinder, sphere, cone, flat, surface, curved, edges, corners, stack, roll.

Students have already engaged in three

focus lessons all about 3D shapes and
their features. Students are familiar with
language associated with 3D shapes and
have investigated their appearance and
function.

Learner considerations:

Lesson:
Introduction
Question for understanding and knowledge of 3D shapes, names and features.
Review and discuss 3D shapes already covered in previous lessons, names and features.
Body
Explain and discuss how many objects are made out of a combination of 3D shapes. Look around in the classroom environment
for examples and call on students to explain one object in the classroom that is shaped similar to a 3D shape.

Activity 1.
Build a Teddy.
Explore features of three dimensional objects e.g Chalky the teddy bear.

SP (physical disability) will need to be out

of his wheelchair and on his collapsible
floor seat for these three activities. He
will be able to fully participate in this
lesson but I will need to make sure he is
on task and able to manipulate the blocks
when building. T/A will be available for
assistance if necessary. I will need to
monitor his movement across the floor
and make sure he doesnt fatigue. SP will
also need access to his modified writing
materials/whiteboard for the planning
activity.
KBs speech (significant speech
impairment) will need monitoring to
ensure she is pronouncing the correct
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Cover the teddy bear with a tea towel and reveal one section of the bear e.g arm to reveal the shape.
Ask students to :
Explain the shape of each part
Identify objects that could represent each part e.g cardboard cylinders for arms
Question for understanding:
What shape do you think this is? Why?
What does it look like?
What shape is this arm? What could you use to make this part of the body?
What shape is this part?

mathematical language and

demonstrating understanding of terms
and names for 3D shapes.

Assessment:

Ask students to identify objects they could use to make a group bear.
Make a bear using these objects. Construct the bear step by step, naming each shape and object used to make the bear.

Activity 2.
Recreating structures using building cards.
Explain to students they will be recreating the models on the building cards. While doing this they must:
Look like what they are copying
Be able to stand/balance
Be joined
Discuss and question elements of buildings and success of structures.
What shapes can you see?
Why is this shape here?
Why is this a good building?
What is important to think about when you are building?
Why do you think that curved face could be a problem?
Where are flat surfaces most helpful?

Students will demonstrate their

understanding of what it takes to
successfully copy and build a
construction using wooden blocks and 3D
shapes. They will plan and build their
structure in activity three. Students
should be able to explain why then have
used the 3D shapes in their structure
(e.g. stacking ability, matching the
structure on the screen) and name the
shape and its features. Their structure
should be stable and able to stand,
balance or join. Evidence of learning may
include, drawn plans, video or
photographs with anecdotal note taking
and observations. Questioning for
understanding will also be necessary for
assessment and recording.

Activity 3.
Plan a construction.
View Rosies Walk.
Review video and discuss how the farm buildings are similar to 3D shapes. Tank, tower, bee hives, Rosies house, barn, fence.
Freeze video on page where map of whole farm is visible.
Explain to students they will be:
planning a building using their whiteboards
building their chosen object from the story according to the plan
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use objects such as blocks/shapes/collage materials

recording or photographing each structure
discuss why they used these materials and was it the best choice?

Provide students with feedback on their structure and record any responses.

Closing the Lesson

After students have packed up their building and put all materials away, move back to the story chair and review and discuss what
they discovered when they built their structure. Was it successful and did it look like the building in the story? What made it
successful? Why didnt it work out?
Review 3D shapes, names and features before finishing the lesson.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Audio and Video links to lesson recording.

The recordings are of the introduction to the lesson and Activity One only.

Video Link:

Maths Lesson - 3D Shapes

Audio Link:

Photographs of Resources

Evidence of outcomes, student work and feedback from lesson

Transcript Formative Assessment

T) What did you build?
B) I made the tower.
T) Look how tall it is! Whats on top of your tower?
B) A cone.
T) Well done Ben, good job! Look at this part here, is that the building?
B) This is going to be to hold the tower up (points to base).
TA) Oh you listened to the lesson the other day. Well done Ben!
T) Good job! He has a nice big base on his building. Ben, what are all
your blocks doing, theyre ?
B) Stacking.
T) Yes theyre stacking perfectly because they all have those awesome
. ?
ALL) Flat surfaces!
T) If they were rolly do you think they would all stack like that?
B) No, I dont think so.

Transcript Formative Assessment

T) Zara, tell me all about your building, what have you used?
Z) Lots of these (points to cones).
T) What are they called?
Z) Cones.
T) What others have you used, lots of?
Z) Blocks
T) But what shape is up n top near the cones?
Z) Cubes
T) Thats right, and whats underneath that end cone?
Z) A cylinder and a cylinder here (points to all cylinders).
T) Right, a huge cylinder holding it up at the bottom, good work Zara,
excellent building.

Reflection on 3D shapes lesson:

The duration of this lesson was approximately 45 minutes. While I thought this was quite long for a single maths lesson, this session was divided
into three individual activities which really kept students attention all the way through the session. Each activity focused on revising 3D shapes
we had already covered in previous maths lessons. This revision was valuable as the final activity (formative assessment) asked students to use
this knowledge of familiar shapes to construct a structure.
The resources used in the first lesson were relevant as they helped students link the idea of 3D shapes to common household items. As they
were already very familiar with Chalky the bear they found this activity interesting and engaging. Lesson two resources were appropriate to
the activity with the final lesson utilizing ICTs and a familiar story to engage creative thinking and problem solving. Familiar and engaging
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resources and learning opportunities not only kept the students focused and on task but developed autonomy and positive attitudes toward
mathematics.

Just prior to activity three I decided to remove the planning (drawing) stage of that activity. The lessons were already taking quite a long time
to get through and I was confident the students had enough prior knowledge of 3D shapes, shapes used for construction and attributes to
attempt building their structure without a plan. I was sure if I questioned appropriately and continued to record this activity I could still make
informed judgements. As they had already successfully demonstrated their ability to recreate a model during activity two, I had no doubt they
would be able to build their own structure without a plan in lesson three. My only concern was that they would miss out on the critical thinking
and problem solving used in the planning stage. Although planning skills are an important part of developing and justifying their representation,
my intended outcomes for today were specific to naming 3D shapes and their features through re-creating a construction.
The three activities I had planned for this maths session were contextually linked. They were organized in a way that (a) initially activated student
prior knowledge (b) prepared them for the formative assessment task and (c) provided an engaging formative assessment task that provided
opportunities specific data gathering. The lessons were planned as small group activities which I adjusted from the original C2C plan.
The first activity worked well in a small circle on the carpet. Each child was able to access the activity from their space and the smaller work
setting encouraged greater dialogue and social interaction among the group. This small group setting encouraged children to recognize the
contributions they make to shared projects and experiences, particularly as they were explicitly and actively involved in the shared construction
of shape Chalky.
The second activity moved the group from the carpet space to the interactive white board where their activity required them to work individually
but there was also opportunity for students to assist each other and interact using mathematical language and reasoning. In this activity students
are encouraged to create and use representation to organize, record and communicate mathematical ideas and concepts.
The third activity was the basis of formative assessment which again required the children to work independently on the carpet building with
their 3D shapes. The whole session was interactive and provided preferred learning opportunities for both visual and kinesthetic learners. While
it is important to recognize students learning styles, a range of approaches to mathematics would support learning through as many senses and
cognitive styles as possible.
The physical organization of the three lessons within one session worked well as students were engaged through a variety of physical and
mathematical challenges to achieve intended outcomes. They used the process of play investigation and reflection to solve problems, while
transferring and adapting what they have learned from one concept to another.

Formative feedback was gathered through observation of lessons one and two. Lesson three provided most opportunity for me to assess
intended outcomes through direct questioning, observing and photographing the students buildings.
In lesson one students were able to describe features of 3D shapes and name each shape. Questioning students for understanding was a very
good indicator of student knowledge. In lesson two most students were able to successfully copy the building cards. One student successfully
completed the task with some assistance, while another student (P) required step by step instruction. Although (P) required scaffolding, he was
able to identify the shapes needed for the structure and explain why they sacked. Lesson three was the basis of formative assessment and
evidence of outcomes. Some students had already displayed meeting these outcomes in lessons one and two.
I found students who had difficulty with lesson two also found lesson three challenging. (P) required one- on- one verbal scaffolding in lesson
two and in lesson three he built a basic fence using blocks. The instructions in lesson three were to build one of the buildings from the story e.g.
the beehives using cubes, cones and spheres from the wooden set. His attempt was quite basic and represented minimal imagination or creative
thinking skills. His construction utilized no stacking of shapes, although he could name and describe most shapes and their observable features
when questioned. (P)s effort may have been the consequence of my decision to omit the planning stage of the lesson. I feel he would have
definitely benefited from drawing a plan as it would have required him to represent his ideas and justify his thinking before he began his
construction.
A plan would have given me an opportunity to assess (P)s choices and ideas and work though any areas where he may have needed assistance
or clarification. Researchers indicate that construction using solid figures will help develop (P)s spatial knowledge, while Queensland Studies
Authority (QSA, 2006) indicates that children actively co-construct understandings through interacting with people, objects and
representations", which may indicate that (P) needed that planning and representation activity to gain better understanding of the task.
In future I will also ensure that any planning remains in the lesson so I can identify students who will need assistance with building the structure.
If timing needs to be adjusted I should look at removing or adjusting parts of the lesson that we have all successfully covered. I need to also
ensure that any changes made to the planning wont undermine the assessment task and each child is given every opportunity for success.
Overall I believe that each child came away with good solid understanding of 3D shapes and their features. The two children that had difficulty
successfully completing activity three independently still had sound knowledge of names and features. All students can explain why 3D shapes
either stack well or dont. They can identify the shapes that roll and why these shapes are not good for stacking.
The mathematics session was engaging and students stayed on task for the three lessons. There were no behavior management issues.
Occasionally when a child started to lose focus I would regain his attention by including his name in the questioning or asking him what he
thought of this idea or concept. This worked well as these prep students are always trying their best and wanting to engage in learning.
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