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Lesson plan

3D Space & Structures: Prisms, Pyramids & Volume

Teacher-facing plan: I do · We do · You do.

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Explicit teaching — I Do (~15 min)

1. Visualising & constructing 3D objects WA6MMGTH1

Show real prisms and pyramids; name them by their cross-section or base (triangular prism, square pyramid). Demonstrate sketching a rectangular prism using oblique projection, then fold a net to construct one.

2. Volume of rectangular prisms WA6MMGTH2

An isometric rectangular prism 4 by 2 by 2 with unit-cube gridlines and the calculation Volume = 4 times 2 times 2 = 16 cubic units.
Count one layer, then multiply by the number of layers.

Record the sequence of steps explicitly so students can apply it to any prism.

Guided practice — We Do (~20 min)

  1. Sort & name. Sort a set of 3D models into prisms versus pyramids; name each by its base.
  2. Build & count. The class builds several rectangular prisms from cubes and counts volume by layers.
  3. Derive the steps. Co-construct the step sequence "area of base × height" and test it against the cube counts.
  4. Apply. Find the volume of three prisms from given dimensions, without building.

Independent practice — You Do (~15 min)

Worksheet/task:

  • name given prisms and pyramids by their base;
  • sketch a rectangular prism on oblique grid paper;
  • determine the volume of rectangular prisms from given dimensions, showing the step sequence;
  • one "missing dimension" challenge (given volume and two dimensions, find the third).