Little Boxes

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Purpose

This is a Level 3 Geometry activity from the Figure It Out Series.
A PDF of the student activity is included.

Achievement Objectives
GM3-4: Represent objects with drawings and models.
Student Activity

Click on the image to enlarge it. Click again to close. Download PDF (255 KB)

Specific Learning Outcomes

represent cube buildings on isometric paper

Required Resource Materials
Multilink cubes

FIO, Level 2-3, Geometry, Little Boxes, page 10

Isometric dot paper

Activity

Activity

Students’ spatial visualisation can be developed further by having them use isometric dot paper to draw shapes that have been made with cubes. It is easier for students to draw models in this form if they have had experience building cube models from complete drawings first.
Students who have difficulty with isometric drawing will need to start by drawing a single cube:

cube.

From this initial drawing, the students can go on to add more cubes:

cubestack.

The greatest difficulty students have working out how many cubes were used to make a drawn building is visualising the cubes that they cannot see. Experience in making and drawing their own cube building is vital to develop spatial awareness of hidden parts of three-dimensional solids.
Getting students to make cube buildings from other students’ drawings is an important part of three-dimensional work and encourages creativity and ownership in problem solving.

Answers to Activity

1. a. 4
b. 6
2. Answers will vary.
3. Teacher to check

Attachments
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Level Three