Maths: 3D shapes and Nets

Something new for us this week… we are going to be

working on 3d shapes by identifying their properties,
as well as starting to think about what they would look
like when they are opened out flat – this is called the net
of a shape. Work through the activities in the overview
below as best you can. All resources can be found on the
following pages!
‘Vertices’ is the plural form, which we use when there is more
Here is a quick reminder of some of the key than one ‘corner’.
vocabulary you will come across whilst ‘Vertex’ is the singular form - we use this if there is just one
describing the properties of a 3d shape. ‘corner’.

https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/category/56/year_3_block_c_use_venn_diagrams_or_carroll_diagrams_to_sort_da
ta_and_objects_using_more_than_one_criterion (link to Mathsframe games for activity 2).
Resources for activity 1: Properties of 3d shapes.
Look at the 3d shapes below. Can you fill in the table to tell me about their
properties? How many faces, edges and vertices does each have? Can you work
out which net goes with which shape from their properties? Use the larger nets
in the resource pack if you would like to make each shape to help you.

3D shape Edges Vertices Faces (how many

and what shape?)
Cube

Cuboid

Cone

Cylinder

Sphere

Square-based
pyramid

Triangular prism

Tetrahedron
Resources for activity 2: Sorting 3d shapes according to
their properties.
Venn Diagram
Looking at the 3d shapes from activity 1, can you sort each shape into the correct part of
the Venn Diagrams? Remember, if it doesn’t fit in either category, it goes outside; if it fits
with both categories, it goes in the centre.

Flat faces Curved faces

E.g. cube

Is a prism Is a pyramid
 Make your own Venn Diagram by choosing two different properties the shapes could have.
Write these as the headings and sort the shapes like you before.

Carroll Sort the 3d shapes into the correct part of the Carroll Diagram,
thinking carefully about their properties.

Diagram Has vertices Does not have

vertices

Has 4
or
less
faces

Has
more
than
4
faces.
Resources for activity 3: Visualising nets of 3d shapes.
Resources for activity 4:
Resources for activity 4
Problems and Reasoning
involving Nets.

v
An extra challenge…
The net of a cube has been cut into two. It could be put
together in several ways so that it could be folded into a cube.
Resources for activity 5: Mixed Practice