Learn About 3D Shapes at the Local Cafe!

3D shapes are all around us! Even at the local cafe, you will find spheres (cake balls), cylinders (coffee mugs), and cereal boxes (rectangular prisms)! 

This interactive activity has been themed in a cafe style and uses everyday shapes that students will be familiar with. It contains a variety of drag-and-drop activities to help students match 3D shapes to their properties. A brief overview of the activities included in this resource is outlined below:

1. Look at the cafe items and decide which 3D shape they most resemble. Drag the correct 3D shape name into the blanks to make true statements.
2. Place each 3D shape onto the correct table by deciding if the shape is a sphere, cylinder, rectangular prism, cone, or cube. 
3. Color a path to get the croissant to the correct plate by following a path of 3D shapes with exactly 6 faces. 
4. Color a path to get the cinnamon roll to the correct plate by following a path of 3D shapes with exactly 0 vertices. 
5. Analyze the 3D shape on each coffee cup. Place each coffee cup underneath the correct coffee maker based on the properties of the 3D shape.
6. Analyze the 3D shape on each teacup. Place each teacup underneath the correct teapot based on the properties of the 3D shape.
7. Type a number in each blank to make true statements about the 3D shapes. Then, drag the correct shape to each phrase.

Tips for Extension and Support

We know that teachers are doing their absolute best to provide differentiated instruction for the diverse needs of the learners in their classrooms. To help you achieve the next outcomes for your learners, here are some ideas for how you might differentiate the application of this resource.

• Extend Your High Fliers: For students needing an additional challenge, invite them to create an anchor chart to display in the classroom. The anchor chart should include all discussed 3D shapes, a drawing of each, and their number of faces, edges, and vertices.
• Support Your Less-Confident Students: To provide additional support, give students physical shapes to hold and touch for each 3D shape discussed. Show students how to count the faces, edges, or vertices by touching each one. If possible, consider marking each attribute to help students keep track of which ones they have already counted.

Teaching About 3D Shapes Has Never Been So Easy!

Use the Download button to access the Google Slides version of this resource.

Answers are provided in a separate PDF download.

Be sure to use this presentation in Edit mode in order to enable the interactive features.

This resource was created by Lorin Davies, a teacher in Texas and a Teach Starter collaborator.

Looking for more handy, time-saving resources to teach 3D shapes to your students? We included some great options for you below!

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