DMS · School Lab · Teacher card
Solids Workshop
The big question: If we turn a solid, make it bigger or unfold it flat, what stays the same?
Goal: Children say, from what they observe, which properties of a shape or solid stay the same when it is turned, resized, unfolded or folded.
In the lesson
Lesson flow
| Step | What children do | min |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Ready? | Meets the turntable and the toy solids. | ≤ 1 |
| 2 · What do I know? | Answers one question for their grade: which one rolls, how many faces does a cube have, will this pattern make a cube? | 1 |
| 3 · In everyday life | Thinks about a milk carton, a ball, a tin can, a tent and a cardboard box opened flat. | 1 |
| 4 · Predict | Predicts whether a turned square is still a square, or whether a pattern will fold into a cube. | 1–2 |
| 5 · Try and observe | The square turns or the pattern folds, and the result shows. | 2–5 |
| 6 · Why? | Sees property cards in their grade's words: round or with corners; faces, edges and vertices; nets. | 2–4 |
| 7 · Try something new | Hunts for shapes in structures, fills in a table of faces, edges and vertices, or questions a wrong net. | 2–6 |
| 8 · My explorer notebook | Picks the right model out of three. | 1–3 |
| Off-screen activity, discussion and wrap-up | ≈ 15 | |
Class prediction vote
If we turn this square, is it still a square? (Grade 4: will this six-square pattern fold into a cube?)
Discussion questions
- What changed when it turned, and what stayed the same?
- What if we made the square bigger? Would it still be a square?
- How can we tell it's a square?
Avoid saying: “When it stands like that, it's a diamond, not a square.”
Say instead: “Its sides are equal and its corners are square, so it's a square whichever way it turns.”
Off-screen activity for the teacher's desk: Open the box, lay it flat
Open an empty cardboard box on the teacher's desk and lay it flat; count its faces, then fold it back up. In grade 1, trace the box's faces on paper and name the shapes.
You need: An empty cardboard box · Scissors · Paper and a pencil
Details
Grades and learning outcomes
- Grade 1: MAT.1.3.3 (Maarif Model 2026), MAT.1.3.4 (Maarif Model 2026), MAT.1.3.5 (Maarif Model 2026)
- Grade 2: MAT.2.3.1 (Maarif Model 2026), MAT.2.3.2 (Maarif Model 2026), MAT.2.3.4 (Maarif Model 2026)
- Grade 3: MAT.3.3.1 (Maarif Model 2026), MAT.3.3.3 (Maarif Model 2026)
- Grade 4: M.4.2.1.4 (2018 curriculum), M.4.2.1.5 (2018 curriculum) · Equivalent from 2027–28: MAT.4.3.1
Scope
No cones. Grade 1 does not name solids and grade 3 has no nets; other nets appear only as an extra challenge.
Misconceptions
- “A turned square is no longer a square; it's a diamond.” (grade 2) → As the shape turns, its sides stay equal and the “square” label stays put.
- Mixing up a side and an edge. (grade 3) → Tapping an edge lights up the line where two faces meet.
- “Any pattern of six squares folds into a cube.” (grade 4) → A wrong pattern won't close when folded; the open edge lights up.
Getting ready
- Open the lab on the board and pick the grade.
- For the screen-free activity: an empty cardboard box (a milk or toothpaste box) and scissors.
- In grade 1, don't name the solids; say “round” and “with corners”. There are no cones in this lab.
This lab is mapped to learning outcomes M.4.2.1.4 and M.4.2.1.5 of the Turkish Ministry of National Education's 2018 Mathematics curriculum. It has not been reviewed or approved by the Ministry of National Education (MEB) or its Board of Education (TTKB).
This lab is mapped to learning outcomes MAT.1.3.3, MAT.1.3.4, MAT.1.3.5, MAT.2.3.1, MAT.2.3.2, MAT.2.3.4, MAT.3.3.1 and MAT.3.3.3 of the Turkish Ministry of National Education's Türkiye Century Maarif Model Mathematics curriculum (2026 version). It has not been reviewed or approved by the Ministry of National Education (MEB) or its Board of Education (TTKB).
From the 2027–28 school year, the grade 4 equivalent in the Türkiye Century Maarif Model is MAT.4.3.1.