Math Journal Sundays

Good SUNDAY Morning!  I've got a great little foldable to share with you today.  I had hoped to have a few to show you today, but because I was down and out with the flu and Thursday and Friday, I only have the one.  We had our unit test on Monday, so I started a new Geometry / Measurement unit on Tuesday.  I had originally hoped that I would be able to finish the unit in two weeks (so I could finish before March Break), but it looks as though I'll need another week after March Break (and so the hamster wheel continues ... sometimes I feel I'll never get off this wheel).

Anyhow, for this unit we are going to study the properties, nets, volume and surface area for the different 3D shapes my students are responsible for learning.  Tuesday I had the students working in pairs and small groups to complete a diagnostic place mat activity where they wrote down pictures, definitions, examples, and non-examples (Frayer model) for 3D shapes.  They are using this sheet as a title page for their unit.  Wednesday we moved on to cubes and rectangular prisms.

I had students draw a net for a cube that had 4 cm x 4 cm faces.  Most of them remembered how to do this, and for the ones that were having difficulty, I showed them a model of a net for a cube.  (I have these fantastic large 3D shapes that have plastic removable nets inside them - LOVE them).  I was also modelling how to draw it under the elmo.  After the nets were drawn, we recorded different characteristics for the cube on each of the faces:  faces, edges, vertices, other net views, surface area and volume, and a sketch).  We then used the formula to find the volume and surface area of the net we had drawn.  We wrote this down on the paper beside the foldable.  We only glued one face to the paper (the one where "other net shapes" was written), so we could still "fold" our net into the 3D shape.  The students thought this was pretty neat.

When all students had finished this task, I asked them to repeat the whole process, but this time for a rectangular prism.  I told them that 4 of the 6 faces should be 4 cm x 6 cm.  Most of them were able to draw the net with no problem, but I did circulate around the class to check in with those who were having some problems.  For the students that were struggling, I had them cut out their net and try to fold it.  When it didn't make a rectangular prism, I asked them how they could change their nets to make them "work".

I plan to have students continue to work on these this week - we will make a square-based pyramid, a triangular prism, and a triangular pyramid.  Come back next week to see the new pics.

Happy, Happy Sunday!!!

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