Strategy

Students can:

• identify the faces, edges and corners on common 3D objects
• identify 3D objects from different views

Activities to support the strategy

Activity 1

1. Provide students with a variety of common 3D objects, including cones, cubes, cylinders, spheres and prisms, to observe and manipulate. Discuss with students the features of common 3D objects - the shape of the faces, as well as the number of corners, edges and faces. These could be recorded in a class chart.

2. Provide the students with a range of 2D nets (including examples and non-examples of 3D objects) in order to construct 3D objects. Students sort nets that can and cannot be made into 3D objects and explain their reasoning.

3. Students select a known 3D object, fro example, cube, sphere, cone, cylinder, rectangular prism, pyramid, triangular prism.

4. Students take their object and place it on a base to establish a chosen orientation.

5. Question the students regarding the view of their object and the shape of its faces from the chosen orientation.

• What shape are the faces in this view?
• In this view can you see circles? Rectangles? and so on.

6. Students view the same 3D object and change the orientation then respond to the same questions.

• What shape will you see from the top? From the side? From the front?

Activity 2

Students use a digital camera to photograph a variety of 3D objects from different perspectives, including top, side and front view. Load onto a computer and print.

• Students outline the edges of the faces with a pencil and cut out each face separately.
• A partner re-assembles the faces as a jigsaw, using a copy of the original photo as a guide.
• Students draw the shapes that make each of the 3D objects and label each shape.

Activity 3

Provide students with a variety of pattern blocks.

• Students use a text marker to trace a hexagonal pattern block onto a sheet of paper. Label the 2D shapes that have been drawn with the pattern block.
• Select a different pattern block to trace its faces and label the shapes.
• Discuss their tracings with a partner and identify the geometric name of the pattern block.

Activity 4 – Visual Arts

1. Place various objects on separate desks or tables around the room. Students make a series of simple linear drawings of the objects from a variety of views.

Future teaching point: Students make drawings of the objects from observation using shadows, shading and details to help make the drawings of the objects appear three-dimensional or 'real'.

2. Display images of space equipment such as satellites, spacecraft and space stations. Have students identify and draw the 3D objects that make up the equipment.

Students collect 3D objects such as cardboard boxes and cylinders. They may also construct other 3D objects. Individually or in small groups, the students combine the objects to create a sculpture based on space equipment.

3. Students use a graphics program to manipulate the images to create a digital artwork based on three-dimensional objects. The images could be resized, arranged, layered, textured and coloured to create a 'fantasy' landscape or design. Students describe their fantasy landscape ensuring 3D objects are correctly identified.

Students can give two-dimensional images a three-dimensional perspective by including dotted lines to represent unseen faces.

Resources

Australian curriculum

ACMMG063 Makes models of three-dimensional objects and describe key features.

ACMMG111: Connect three-dimensional objects with their nets and other two-dimensional representations.