Planning GuideGrade 2
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3-D Objects

Strand: Shape and Space (3-D Objects and 2-D Shapes)
Outcomes: 6, 7

Step 3: Plan for Instruction

Guiding Questions

  • What learning opportunities and experiences should I provide to promote learning of the outcomes and permit students to demonstrate their learning?
  • What teaching strategies and resources should I use?
  • How will I meet the diverse learning needs of my students?

A. Assessing Prior Knowledge and Skills

Before introducing new material, consider ways to assess and build on students’ knowledge and skills related to 3-D objects and 2-D shapes. Have 3-D objects available for the students to use as needed. Examples of assessments include the following:

  • Give students a set of familiar 3-D objects (such as a cone drinking cup or foam shape, a cube die or block, a box that is a rectangular prism such as a shoe box, a ball for a sphere, a cylinder can or toilet paper roll with the ends covered, and an egg shape such as a plastic Easter egg or a foam shape) and ask the students to sort them with a given sorting rule based on one attribute, such as the following:
    • can roll
    • can slide
    • has at least one point or vertex.

      This may be done as a class first to connect the new learning to what students have already mastered. Individual structured interviews need only be done with students for whom you have reason to be concerned about the extent of their prior knowledge.
  • Can students create their own sorting rules according to one attribute and apply them to 3-D shapes? Can students explain their rules? Organize the students in groups of three or four, if you have enough 3-D shapes for your groups to operate simultaneously. If not, the activity can be done as an activity centre or with you while the rest of the class works on other tasks. Listen for the level of language used in their rules as it will give you information of their understanding of the concept. Do they have more than one or two ways to sort the 3-D objects? Are there students who can only mimic the ways to sort that have already been shared? Are there students whose sorts do not match their rules? Do they recognize why when shown? Do they repeat the same error? Use these questions to identify students with whom you wish to conduct structured interviews.
  • When students are shown a pre-sorted set of 3-D objects, can they determine the differences and explain a possible rule that may have been used to sort them? This can be done as a whole class first, then in small groups and finally as a structured interview with a particular individual for whom you have concerns.
  • Can students select the necessary 3-D objects from a given set to reproduce a given composite 3-D object? Probably this will have to be set up as an activity centre due to the number of 3-D shapes that would be required for a whole class.
  • Can students predict and select the 3-D objects used to produce a composite 3-D object and verify their selection by deconstructing the composite object? This can originally be done by a student as the class observes to introduce the activity. Then it can be set up as an activity station.
  • Can students describe the following 2-D shapes and their properties: triangle, square, circle and rectangle? Can they use what they know about these shapes to describe other 2-D shapes such as a pentagon, octagon or hexagon, even though they may not know the names of these polygons? You will have this information from the assessment of the Grade 2 Curriculum Shape and Space assessments for Outcomes 6 and 8.

If a student appears to have difficulty with these tasks, consider further individual assessment, such as a structured interview, to determine the student’s level of skill and understanding.

Sample Structured Interview: Assessing Prior Knowledge and Skills  Word Document

B. Choosing Instructional Strategies

Consider the following general strategies for teaching the Grade 2 outcomes regarding 3‑D objects:

  • Access prior knowledge on 2-D shapes so that students recognize the properties of these shapes to apply to faces of 3-D objects.
  • Draw students' attention to the relationships that exist between their study of 2-D shapes and 3-D objects. For example, point out how there were 2-D shapes of various sizes and there are 3-D objects of varying sizes, but their properties remain constant. Likewise, change in orientation does not alter the properties of either a 2-D shape or a 3-D object.
  • Include many hands-on activities to establish a kinesthetic knowledge of these 3-D objects, some of which they can readily experience in their daily lives and others of which they seldom handle.
  • Through various construction mediums ranging from clay to mini-marshmallows and toothpicks, allow the students to produce both solids and skeletons of 3-D objects.
  • Have the students share their ideas about sorting various sets of 3-D objects and provide follow-up activities to address any misconceptions that may arise. 
  • Have the students justify their thinking by explaining their sorting rules for 3-D objects.
  • Encourage flexible thinking by having the students sort sets in more than one way.
  • Have the students look for items in their environment that are one of the 3-D shapes they are studying or a composite of several of these shapes. For example, they may recognize pipes and cans as cylinders.

C. Choosing Learning Activities

Learning Activities are examples of activities that could be used to develop student understanding of the concepts identified in Step 1.

Sample Learning Activities
Recognizing Family Members Download Activities  Word
What’s My Rule? Download Activities  Word
Getting to Know 3-D Objects and Developing Language to Describe Download Activities  Word
Student Sorts of 3-D Objects Download Activities  Word
Varying Perspectives of 3-D Objects Download Activities  Word
Constructing 3-D Objects Download Activities  Word
3-D Objects in the Environment Download Activities  Word