The purpose of this activity is for students to identify important features of rectangular prisms and then put together connecting cubes to make rectangular prisms.

The purpose of the Activity Synthesis is to share and compare different rectangular prisms that students build. Students should keep the rectangular prism that they build for the next activity.

• Invite two students to share their rectangular prisms.
• “How are these 2 shapes the same? How are they different?” (Both look like boxes and both have flat sides. They are solid shapes. One of them is taller.)
• Display a student-created rectangular prism and a shape made out of connecting cubes that is not a rectangular prism, similar to this image:

• “How are these 2 shapes the same? How are they different?” (One has a cube missing and a cube sticking out. One is a box and the other is not.)
• “Use the connecting cubes to make a different box.”

The purpose of this activity is for students to learn Stage 3 of the Build Shapes center. In this activity, students work with their partner to build a rectangular prism, using sticks and clay. Students use the rectangular prism they built in the previous Activity Synthesis to help them. Then students choose another solid shape to make out of sticks and clay. In this activity, a Gallery Walk is added to the center so that students can reflect on the shapes made by others. 

When students play this center in future lessons, they choose the solid shapes to build and they do not participate in a Gallery Walk. Students also can be given access to other materials to build shapes during this center, such as paper, cardboard, tape, and connecting cubes.

• Display a sphere and a cylinder.
• “Did you see anybody who made a sphere or a cylinder?” (No, the sticks are straight, so you can’t make shapes with round sides like cylinders or spheres.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to choose from activities that offer practice with number and shape concepts.

Students choose any previously introduced stage from these centers:

• Build Shapes
• Geoblocks
• Counting Collections
• Match Mine
• Shake and Spill

• “When we work in centers, it is important to work together. Did you see another group that worked well together during centers today? What did you notice them doing?”