Net exploration – cube
Stage 2 and 3 – A thinking mathematically targeted teaching opportunity exploring creating nets from 3D objects
Syllabus
Syllabus outcomes and content descriptors from Mathematics K–10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2023
Outcomes
- MAO-WM-01
- MA2-3DS-01
- MAO-WM-01
- MA3-3DS-01
Collect resources
You will need:
your origami cube
some paper
scissors
a pencil or marker.
Watch
Watch the Net exploration – cube video (2:13).
[White text on a blue background: Net exploration - cubes. In the bottom left corner is the white waratah logo of the NSW government. In the top left corner is the small font text: NSW Department of Education.
New slide. Text: You will need…
· A pair of safe scissors
· A pencil of pen
· The cube you made
A paper origami cube and a sheet of A4 paper are on a table. A pair of hands appears holding a pencil.
The cube is placed in the middle of the top of the paper. They use the pencil to trace around the edge of the cube.
They roll the cube down the middle of the page from the bottom edge and trace the cube again.
They roll the cube on the right edge and trace around the edges.
The cube is rolled back into the middle and then on the left edge. They trace the cube.
The cube is rolled back into the middle and the down the page on the bottom edge. The cube’s position is traced in pencil. They roll the cube down the page on the bottom edge again and trace around the edges.
All of the tracings have now made a cross shape made of 6 distinct squares. 4 of the squares run in a vertical line and 2 squares are on either side of the second vertical square.
The hands put the origami cube to one side and pick up a pair of scissors. They cut out the paper around the traced area.
Text: This is a net.
They discard the unused paper and retrieve the origami cube.
The hands fold the right square into the square on the vertical line to make a crease. They do the same with the left square.
They then fold the top square down on the second square to make a crease.
They the take the bottom edge of the shape and fold that over so it reaches the top edge and make a crease.
They then take the bottom edge and fold it so that it meets the bottom edge of the second vertical square.
The hands then close the shape together to make a cube shape. They unfold it and place the origami cube inside the shape. They close the white paper over the origami cube.
The hands give a thumbs up.
New slide. Text: There’s more than 1 way to make a net for a cube…in fact, there are 11! Over to you to use your cube to make the other 10 (plus this one).
The NSW Government logo flashes on screen. Text below reads: Copyright, State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2021.]
[End of transcript]
Instructions
- Create the net in the video and then use your cube to explore and make the other 10 nets.
View the episode about cubes from Look Kool on ABC iview.