Spring SAVY 2019, Day 5 – Discovering the Third Dimension (Kindergarten)
Morning meeting was enriched by several geometry shares from home:
– What is one student’s homemade ball made of? What interesting material forms its core?
– How is another student’s spherical puzzle similar to Rubik’s Cube? How is it different?
– What shapes would spiders see when looking down from the ceilings of the bedrooms of our classmates? What furnishings and objects do the shapes represent?
Adding to our understanding that geometers share their thinking through words and drawings, our first task was to study three-dimensional solids and composites when viewed from the (agreed-to) front, back, right side, left side, and top – and to draw the elevation from each vantage point. Ask your expert: What shape did we see when we looked at the front and back of the yellow triangular prism? What did we see when we looked from the side views and the top view? Download and print these challenges to provide your geometer an opportunity to connect today’s work with elevations to our prior work with cube structures. Be sure to remove the answer key before sharing the pages with your child. Consider having a collection of cubes on hand if available (think dice or sugar cubes); substitute other stackable, countable objects if needed (e.g., nickels could work due to their thickness).
Our culminating parts-to-whole design challenge was inspired by last week’s analysis of the three-dimensional shapes that form the toy truck. This week we worked in the opposite direction. Starting with a collection of three-dimensional shapes, each designer imagined how the shapes might be combined to create a vehicle that rolls. As they set to work, you would have been impressed by the collaborative spirit that permeated the room. Designers shared materials and ideas, offered encouragement and celebrated successes, and persevered when they needed to revise an original design. We’re excited to share our unique fleet with families next week. For a sneak preview, interview your designer: Tell me about the vehicle you created. What part was the most challenging to construct? How many of each type of shape do you think you used in your design? Tell me about the vehicle someone else created.
The balance of our morning provided students with an opportunity to revisit games and investigations from last week (What’s Missing, 3-D modeling with magnetix, magazine picture sort, cube numbers) or to continue to hone their skill in drawing 3-D solids. A jointed, wooden manikin was added to our drawing station to allow further consideration of an unexpected noticing from our work with the Shadow Curtain: Even human bodies can be thought of as composites of geometrical shapes.
In anticipation of welcoming families to next week’s Shape Museum, our closing circle focused on sharing ideas for activities and displays. Sinclair suggested that families would enjoy seeing our collection of homemade balls, so all ball makers are going to try to remember to bring them back next week for display. Additional spider views – of bedrooms or other rooms in the house – are also encouraged. Your geometer may propose bringing other objects or drawings to add to our museum as you move through the week. If they can carry it, explain its connection to 3-D shapes, and are comfortable with the possibility of it getting lost or broken, know that they’re more than welcome to bring it along.
Happy exploring!
Christy Plummer
What a Great Week!
