The students began exploring 3-D shapes by sorting 2-D and 3-D shapes. As they worked in small groups, they first sorted the shapes, then selected one 2-D shape and one 3-D, and finally told how the two shapes are the same and how they're different.
Then, the students began learning about the 3-D shapes' characteristics by exploring how they move. Which shapes roll? Which shapes slide? Which shapes stack? The students also worked in small groups to discover the answer to these questions.
We made a chart to organize our findings, and the students began drawing some insightful conclusions! For example, they realized, "If a shape has one flat bottom, it can slide," and "A shape with a point can only stack if its on the top." The students will learn the correct terms for "flat bottom" (face) and "point" (vertex), later, but what's important is that these conclusions require higher-level thinking. Impressive!