The purpose of this activity is for students to describe the attributes of three-dimensional shapes and to identify these shapes, based on their attributes. The activity encourages students to build on their understanding of two-dimensional shapes to describe three-dimensional shapes. When students describe the attributes of solid shapes clearly to others, they use language precisely, including making connections to the attributes of two-dimensional shapes (MP6).

In previous grades, students identified and named spheres, cylinders, cones, and cubes. Students may be able to recognize rectangular prisms and pyramids as solid shapes, but students are not expected to use these terms.

This activity uses MLR7 Compare and Connect. Advances: representing, conversing.

MLR7 Compare and Connect

• “Mientras observan los pósteres de otros grupos, piensen en los detalles que les ayudan a imaginar o a nombrar la figura” // “As you look at other groups’ posters, think about the details that help you imagine or name the shape.”
• 5 minutes: Gallery Walk
• “¿En qué se parecen y en qué se diferencian las maneras en las que los grupos describieron su figura sólida?” // “What is the same and what is different about the ways that groups described their solid shape?” (Many groups gave details about the faces of the shapes, and some groups described objects that look like their shape.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to recognize and describe the attributes of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes. Students are given cards containing figures composed of two-dimensional shapes. They sort these shape designs in the way that makes sense to them, which may include reasoning about how the shape designs relate to three-dimensional shapes. This sorting task gives students opportunities to analyze the figures closely and make connections, based on their attributes (MP7).

After sorting, students come together to discuss how they sorted their shape designs, before they cut and fold two shape designs into cubes. Listen for the way students describe shape designs that are composed of equal-size shapes and solid shapes that have equal-size faces. They will continue to describe equal-size shapes in the next section.

• Invite 1–2 groups to share their cubes.
• “Ustedes y su compañero empezaron con distintos diseños para doblar, pero ambos hicieron cubos” // “When you and your partner were folding, you started with different designs, but both made cubes.”
• Draw or display a design with different size squares, such as:

• “Algunos de ustedes observaron que un cubo tiene 6 caras cuadradas. ¿Se puede doblar esta figura para hacer un cubo?” // “Some of you noticed that a cube has 6 square faces. Would this shape fold to make a cube?” (No, it has 6 squares, but some aren’t the same size.)