Geometric Solids
Materials:
A basket
A cloth large enough to cover the basket
10 geometric solids: sphere, cube, cone, cylinder, rectangular prism, triangular prism, pyramid, ellipsoid, ovoid, tetrahedron
5 cards: square, rectangle, circle, equilateral triangle, and acute-angled isosceles triangle
A rug
Purposes:
To help the child become aware of the solid geometric shapes around them
Development of the stereognostic perception
Preparation for geometry
Age: 3 and up
Preparation: None
Presentation:
Introduction
Invite the child for a lesson on the Geometric solids and to unroll a rug. The child may carry the basket to the rug.
You will be using the contrasting shapes of the cube, sphere, and pyramid.
Choose a solid, close your eyes, and with both hands feel all around the shape-the edges, surface, sides, angles, etc.
Place it on the rug and invite the child to feel it.
Repeat for the remaining two.
Invite the child to continue feeling the remainder of the solids. Fade and observe. Return to demonstrate gently placing them in the basket.
Three Period Lesson
After the child has experienced feeling all the solids give a three-period lesson on the three contrasting solids. This does not have to be immediately after the first introduction.
First period: Naming: Close your eyes, feel all around the shape, place it on the rug and give the name of the solid. Invite the child to feel and name. Repeat for each.
Second period: Recognition: (place____ in my hand, point to_____, place____ here, etc)
Third period: Recall: “What is this?”
If the child is successful or wants to continue, introduce three more in a three-period lesson. Do not offer more than 6.
The next day, review the solids from the lesson and introduce new solids. If the child does not recall one, include that solid again in the lesson.
**Over the next several days, continue with three-period lessons until all the names of the solids have been introduced.
Control of Error:
The child’s own judgment/visual discrimination of shape/form
Language: Sphere, cone, cube, cylinder, rectangular prism, triangular prism, square, ellipsoid, ovoid, pyramid (or square-based pyramid), a tetrahedron (or triangle-based pyramid)
Following Exercise:
Identify the Shape: Once the child knows the names of all the solids
Cover the basket with the cloth.
Reach under the cloth and guess what shape you feel, “I have a shape that feels like a…. (name of the solid).”
Pull it out and confirm your guess. Repeat once more and then invite the child.
Invite the child to reach in the basket and feel the solid.
Exploration of How Shapes Move
Lay cloth in the center of the rug.
Choose a shape and move the shape on the cloth according to its contours or edges (Example: a sphere will roll, a cube will flip over, etc.).
Move a sphere and then a cube
**Keep the solids within the boundary of the cloth to move the shapes.
Invite the child to move the shapes
Working with the Bases (cards)
Invite the child to a rug with the basket of solids and the box of bases.
Isolate one base and find all the solids that fit on that base.
Superimpose solid directly onto the base. Sort solids according to those that fit and do not fit.
When all are found, replace the solids in the basket and invite the child to choose another base and continue the process.
**Some solids need to be viewed from above to determine if it fits the base such as the sphere, ovoid, ellipsoid, and the cylinder (which fits on the rectangular prism).
Memory Games:
Comparing to the Environment: The child selects a solid and looks for the same shape in the environment.
Pedagogical Notes:
There is only feeling the solids, no pairing or grading, so we can give the language early.
Solids may be kept on a tray.
Do not show how solids move too soon. We want the child to have a clear stereognostic impression first.
Geometric Solids
