Cut Nets
Cut Nets
The net of a cube has been cut into two. It could be put together in several ways so that it could be folded into a cube.
Here are the nets of $9$ solid shapes. Each one of these has been cut into $2$ pieces, like the net of the cube.
Can you see which pieces go together?
Why do this problem?
This problem makes children think hard about the nets of various polyhedra. It is not enough to know roughly what they look like. The number and shape of the faces and the way they are connected are important. It will help to develop children's visualisation skills and increase their familiarity with appropriate vocabulary. It provides an excellent opportunity for describing properties of 3D shapes.
Possible approach
Key questions
Possible extension
Learners could make some nets of these or other polyhedra and possibly cut them to make puzzles for a friend.
Possible support
You could start some children off with just three shapes using, for example, pieces $B$, $E$, $F$, $K$, $L$ and $M$.You may also like
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