Draw a Structure from 3 Different Views

Primary/Junior (Age 6 – 12)

Curriculum Goal

Primary: Geometry and Spatial Sense

  • Compare two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures and sort them by their geometric properties.
  • Compose and decompose two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional figures.

Junior: Geometry and Spatial Sense

  • Identify and classify two-dimensional shapes by side and angle properties, and compare and sort three-dimensional figures.
  • Sketch three-dimensional figures, and construct three-dimensional figures from drawings.

Context

Part of our spatial toolkit...

Materials

  • Interlocking cubes​
  • Grid paper

Lesson

  • Review with students how interlocking cubes can make different shapes.
  • Facilitate a discussion to prompt students to think about how to transform a 2D drawing into a 3D structure.
  • Construct an interlocking cube structure. This structure can be made from four cubes to 20 cubes. It can be any shape and have different colours.
  • Place the interlocking-cube structure on a fixed surface.
  • Provide students with small grid paper and coloured pencils.
  • Ask students to use the grid paper to make three drawings that represent the different views (i.e. top view, front view, side view).
  • Ask students to compare their top views, side views and front views of the structure.
  • Ask students to exchange drawings and verify them by discussing the different views.

Look Fors

  • What directional language does the student use (e.g. over, under, left, right).​
  • Do they use proper names of 2D and 3D shapes?​
  • Can they articulate how they interpreted the 3D structures and applied that to the 2D pictures?​

Extension

  • Students can make their own structure and challenge a partner to draw it.

Related Lessons

Use interlocking cubes to transform a 2D drawing into a 3D structure from three different viewpoints.

In this lesson, students will use spatial thinking to draw an image from memory.

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