Illustrative Mathematics
3-D Shape Sort
From the apple on your desk and the coffee cup in your hand, to the cabinets along the classroom wall, basic three-dimensional shapes are found everywhere in the world around us. Introduce young mathematicians to the these common figures...
Perkins School for the Blind
Creating a 3-D Model of a Plant Life
Instructing blind or visually impaired learners means you need to make symbolic tactile representations of various processes to provide as much input as possible. But wouldn't it be even better to have your learners make the models...
Curated OER
3-D Model of Lake Benthos
Students create 3-D models of Lake Benthos. In this scale drawing instructional activity, students create a 3-D model of Lake Benthos. Students work in groups to create the models. Students use the models to to encourage people to...
Brigham Young University
To-Scale Models
Guided by their analysis of a scene, their initial sketches, and renderings, set designers begin to craft a scaled, 3-D model of the set of the play they have chosen.
American Museum of Natural History
Thinking in the Three Dimensions
Discover different dimensions with paper folding. Pupils first read about zero, one, two, and three dimensions, and then learn about the fourth dimension, time. They then use origami to create models of shapes in three dimensions and use...
Curated OER
Silica Tetrahedron Model
Very simply, pairs of learners construct a model of the tetrahedral silica structure using raisins and toothpicks. They dip it into a soapy solution and then blow a bubble "atom" into its center. The lesson plan gives instructions that...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Virtual Reality and Anaglyph Stereoscopic Technology
Experiment with 3-D glasses to learn about stereo images and virtual reality. Scholars look at various images to determine if green/red or red/cyan glasses are preferable. They determine distances between images using the 3-D glasses and...
EngageNY
Projecting a 3-D Object onto a 2-D Plane
Teach how graphic designers can use mathematics to represent three-dimensional movement on a two-dimensional television surface. Pupils use matrices, vectors, and transformations to model rotational movement. Their exploration involves...
Curated OER
3-D Cubes
Students investigate cubes. In this geometric solids lesson, students review geometric concepts previously taught, then logon to a computer game in which they find cube figures and identify the shadow of hidden cubes.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Representing 3-D Objects in 2-D
How does the shape of the surface of water in a container change as water leaks out? After tackling this question, learners take part in a similar activity with more complex figures.
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 5: Modeling with Geometry
Solids come in many shapes and sizes. Using geometry, scholars create two-dimensional cross-sections of various three-dimensional objects. They develop the lesson further by finding the volume of solids. The module then shifts to finding...
EngageNY
Modeling Relationships with a Line
What linear equation will fit this data, and how close is it? Through discussion and partner work, young mathematicians learn the procedure to determine a regression line in order to make predictions from the data.
Curated OER
3-D Cell Model
Life science laureates choose a plant or animal cell to construct a model of as an at-home project. This handout provides guidelines, suggested materials, and a grading rubric for their reference. A full-page letter to parents is also...
EngageNY
Modeling with Exponential Functions
These aren't models made of clay. Young mathematicians model given population data using exponential functions. They consider different models and choose the best one.
Tech Museum of Innovation
Analogous Models
What goes into a museum display? A secondary-level STEM project prompts groups to design a museum display for the Tech Museum of Innovation. They create an analogous, interactive model illustrating a science concept to complete the lesson.
Education Bureau of Hong Kong
Mental Models
Behaviors are often based on assumptions. That's the big idea in the third lesson of a series of critical think resources. Through a series of worksheets, learners examine the conscious and heretofore unconscious assumptions that...
Curated OER
3-D Ribbon Letters - Pencil Shading
Students examine the art of Edward Ruscha and make a three-dimensional model of a single word. They explore shading and value, and create a drawing of the model. They render ribbon strip letters in varied values to show 3-D quality.
Curated OER
Great Shapes Alive!
Compare two- and three-dimensional shapes and construct three dimensional models from two-dimensional shapes. Diagram the shapes and reflect about the process in writing.
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Chemical Models
Science teams make models of four different hydrocarbon compounds that we commonly use for fuel. Then they demonstrate chemical reactions that result when energy is produced. This can be used as an enrichment when your class is studying...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 7: Modeling with Functions
The sky's the limit of what you create when combining functions! The module begins with a review of transformations of parent functions and then moves to combining different function types using addition, subtraction, and multiplication....
GNS Science
Think like a Geologist: 2
All models are better in three dimensions. A hands-on lesson asks learners to create 3-D models of a rock layer using a template. They arrange the puzzle piece sides together to create models that are scientifically correct. Once the...
Curated OER
Linear and Quadratic Model, Data Modeling
Students model quadratic and linear equations. In this algebra instructional activity, students solve word problems using equations. They create scatter plots and make predictions using correlations.
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying special attention to...
Curated OER
Polyhedra: Faces, Edges, and Vertices (3-D Marshmallow Models)
Third graders explore the attributes of 3-dimensional shapes. In this shapes lesson, 3rd graders examine faces, edges, and vertices of 3-dimensional shapes as they construct shapes using marshmallows and toothpicks.