Year 5 & 6 Maths

Throughout this week's engaging sessions in Mathematics class, our primary focus was threedimensional solids. The exploration encompassed various polyhedrons, spheres, cylinders, and cones, unravelling their intricacies and attributes. This immersive journey enriched experiences for Year 5 and Year 6 students, fostering a deeper connection with geometry and spatial concepts.

In Year 5, the exploration of three-dimensional solids proved to be an excellent extension of their knowledge of polygons. During their study, students were prompted to draw connections between their familiarity with polygons and the fundamental elements of three-dimensional shapes. The discussions concerned the significance of faces, bases, and vertices in these structures. This prompted them to undertake a comprehensive exercise in naming prisms and pyramids based on their unique properties.

A notable highlight was the exploration of the apex – a term that ignited curiosity and intrigue. Students were guided to recognise that the apex, akin to the pinnacle of a solid or shape, serves as a vertex where multiple lines or sides converge. Positioned directly above the structure’s base, this insight allowed students to grasp the shared characteristics of apexes in pyramids, cones, and isosceles triangles.

In Year 6, the exploration took a more nuanced turn as students honed their skills in identifying and classifying specific three-dimensional solids: cylinders, cones, and spheres. The discussions ventured into the distinctive features of these shapes, mainly focusing on their flat or curved surfaces.

During a class discussion, students collectively deduced that cones and cylinders inherently lack edges. They insightfully reasoned that, in the context of geometry, edges refer to the intervals or straight lines formed at the junction of faces or polygons in three-dimensional objects. Cones and cylinders, devoid of faces, consequently emerge as exceptions to this rule.

Similarly, the students recognised that cones defy the conventional notion of vertices as the points where line segments or edges intersect, considering cones lack both faces and angles that typically define vertices.

Students engaged in a hands-on activity where they identified and labelled edges on various threedimensional shapes, contrasting those with faces.

Through interactive exercises, students explored vertices in different shapes, offering them a tangible understanding of how cones challenge traditional vertex definitions.