Lesson Topic: 3D Shape – Sort and Describe 3D Shapes and Objects

Concept/s in Focus:
• A 3-dimensional object / shape has three dimensions – length, width and height
• ‘3-dimensonal’ can be shortened to 3D
• 3D shapes can be sorted by observing physical features e.g. flat or curved surfaces
• 3D shapes can be sorted by function e.g. can roll, can stack
• 3-dimensional shapes have 2-dimensional shapes as their faces

Introduction / Teacher Background Information:

There are two approaches to the teaching of shape. The environmental approach starts with
learning about 3D shape as these occur naturally in the environment and students will have had
personal experiences with them. 2D shape is more abstract and can be studied once students have
experience with 3D shape by exploring faces of 3D shapes and then the features of these 2D shapes
i.e. line and points etc. The sub-concept teaching approach starts with sub-concepts like line and
direction and builds on these to create 2D shapes and then 3D shapes. While both make sense, early
childhood teaching philosophies tend to build from the world of the child to the abstract ideas of
mathematics so Learning Through Doing uses the environmental approach. This lesson aims to
investigate 3D objects and shapes in a very general sense to provide experiences for students to
build geometric concepts from as they progress through their education.

Australian Curriculum links: ACMMG009

Resources:
Whole Class Activity:
• A range of everyday objects that resemble common 3D shapes e.g. balls, cones, boxes, blocks,
cans, large dice (cubes). Include different examples of each basic shape if possible and any
interesting shapes that
• A set of 3D geometric shapes i.e. educational resources – cube, pyramids, rectangular prism,
cone, sphere to compare to similar everyday objects.
• 4 Hoops or lengths of rope to use as sorting rings
• A whiteboard or strips of paper to write key words (if a literacy link is desired)
• Marker pen

Hands-On Activity:
• Enough everyday objects that resemble common 3D shapes and standard 3D shapes (as in the
Whole Class section of the lesson) so every student has an object / shape each.

Note: Working this activity as a small group activity or rotation activity will reduce the number of
objects needed.

Independent Activity:
• A range of everyday objects that resemble common (same as above).

Note: Working this activity as a small group activity or rotation activity will reduce the number of
objects needed.

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 Whole Class Activity:
• Gather the class in a circle in an open space in the classroom or outside.
• Have the everyday objects nearby e.g. in a box for showing one by one.
• Choose an object e.g. a box (rectangular prism)

What do you notice about this? Tell me anything you can see that you think is interesting.

• Accept all responses and help the rest of the class see what the student selected is describing.
• Listen for geometric descriptions e.g. it has flat (sides). (Accept incorrect geometric terms for
parts of the shapes at this early stage. Focus on the key geometric feature of flat vs curved
rather than being concerned about correct use of terms like faces. Include the correct term e.g.
faces when restating the students’ observation so they hear it but correct terminology is not the
focus of this lesson.
• There is no need for students to count the number of faces or vertices at this early stage. These
skills will be the focus of future lessons. Focus on getting the students to describe the shapes.
• Students might know the name of 2D shapes they can see as the faces of their object e.g. they
might see a square or a circle. Encourage appropriate use of any geometric language being used.
Provide students with the proper geometric names if needed e.g. faces

• Lead the discussion to focus on function of the shape e.g.

What can this shape do?

• Accept all responses and listen for ones that relate to function.
• If the students don’t understand the question prompt further e.g.

Can it roll? If I had some more of these could I stack them on top of each other without them falling? Can we
put anything inside this object? Can it slide?

• Place the object in the middle of the circle and choose another object e.g. ball.
• Discuss this object in relation to obvious features and listen for mention of no flat sides this
time. Prompt for comparisons to the previous shape e.g.

What is different between this shape (indicate the current shape) and this shape (indicate or pick up the
previous shape)?

• Listen for geometric differences e.g. the rectangular prism object has flat sides and the spherical
object does not.
• Discuss function of the new object e.g.

What can this shape do? What can this shape (ball) do that this shape (box) can’t do (e.g. Roll)

• Place the ball on the floor in the middle of the circle with the box.
• Continue choosing objects, showing them to the class and discussing the features and function
of each object. Add each object to the collection in the middle of the circle.

• Include some of the standard geometric shapes in the discussion and add them to the collection
in the middle of the circle.
• Once there are a few geometric shapes and objects in the middle focus on matching the
geometric shapes and objects the same shape
• Choose a geometric shape e.g. the cube

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 Does anyone know the name of this shape?

• If they don’t know the name of the shape, tell them. If a literacy focus is helpful, write the name
of the shape on the whiteboard or on a strip of paper to add to a word wall or for a display
beside the shapes in the classroom after the lesson. Other key words like flat, round, curved,
roll, stack, slide can be written on strips as well as they come up to highlight words they can use
in other parts of the lesson to describe geometric features.

Can you see something on the floor that is the same shape as this cube?

• Give the class some time to look over the objects. If they choose a rectangular prism instead of a
cube tell them they are close but that’s not quite a match.
• Place the geometric shape cube and the object the same shape together on the floor.
• Continue to choose geometric shapes and have the class help find objects the same shape.

• As a final activity with the objects and shapes have the class assist to sort the objects into two
group that are opposites based on geometric features or function e.g. flat faces / curved faces;
can roll / cannot roll etc.
• Place two hoops on the floor or make two circles with rope on the floor to be sorting rings.
• Write a label for each sorting ring on a strip of paper e.g. flat / not flat. Keep the labels simple.
• Have extra hoop/ropes ready in case another group is needed e.g. flat and curved sides.

Who can see something that would go in this hoop ? (Read the label aloud)

• Invite a few students to choose a shape or object and to come and place it in the sorting ring.
• Attempt to place all the objects into one ring or the other.
• If there are objects that do not fit as the students for a solution rather than solving it for them

What about these things? Where do they go? Do they go in this ring? (Indicate one of the sorting rings) Why
/ Why doesn’t this one go in this ring? Does it go in this ring? (Indicate the other sorting ring) Why do they /
don’t they go in this ring? What can we do with them? Where can they go?

• Listen to suggestions and reasoning from the students.

• Add another sorting ring if needed, write a label for it on a strip of paper and place objects in it.
• Continue sorting the objects into rings one at a time, checking with the students for each one.

• The sorting can be done again with different labels for the two sorting rings. This can be done as
a follow up activity on another day or a start of the day activity to reinforce the language and the
geometric features of the objects.

Hands On Activity:
• This section of the lesson can be done as a whole class activity or a small group activity lead by a
teacher / adult.
• Provide each student with an object that resembles a basic 3D shape. These objects can be the
same objects used in the Whole Class section of the lesson or other items.
• Arrange the students into group of 3 or 4 and have them sit together on the floor or at a table.

Your job is to take turns in your group to tell the other people in your group one thing about your object.
Try to tell them something about the shape of your object.

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 • Listen to how the students describe their shape. Encourage students not describing geometric
features to think about the shape of their object – the faces, the corners, other shapes they can
see on the faces etc or encourage them to talk about the function of their object – what it can
do e.g. roll, stack, slide.

• Allow time for each student in the group to tell something about their shape.
• Listen to the descriptions being given and assist any students needing help to describe their
object.

• Rearrange the groups and have students make different groups of 3 or 4 (or 2 if that is easier)
and repeat the activity telling about their object.

Tell the people in your new group something about the shape of your object. Try to tell them something
different to what you told your last group.

• Depending on the size of the class/group doing this activity, the groups can be mixed and the
students can describe their object to a new group.

• Have the students choose a different object from the collection and repeat the activity in small
groups then rearrange the groups. This can be repeated as necessary so students get experience
examining an object and describing its geometric features.

Independent Activity:
• This activity could be done as an individual assessment where one student works with an adult
or it could be done as a small group activity as part of a rotation. The idea is for an adult to be
near the students as they work to observe them to make judgements about understandings

• Provide a selection of objects that resemble geometric shapes (as used above).
• Set up 2 sorting rings and place a label describing a geometric feature in each sorting ring. The
two labels can be opposites e.g. Roll  / Roll x or can be different features e.g. flat / curved.

Choose an object. Which ring are you going to put it in. Look at the label (read it to them if needed), look at
the object you have. Where does it go?

• Observe the student and talk to them about what they are looking at and looking for to assist
with understanding their perspective and knowledge of the geometric terms.
• Have the student choose another object and place it in the sorting rings.

• Change the labels so the focus is on different geometric features.

• This activity could be revisited during the year as a regular rotational activity.

Understandings to look for:

• Students who can identify a 3D object that matches a given geometric criteria e.g. flat face
• Students who can describe the geometric features of a 3D object.
• Students who can sort 3D objects according to geometric criteria.

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