← Mathematics / 4 Geometry

4.4 Common Solids

Mathematics · Grade 8 · 16 lessons in the design

What this covers

  • Nets of cubes, cuboids, cylinders, pyramids and cones
  • Surface area of the solids
  • Models of hollow and compact solids

What you will be able to do

  • identify common solids from the environment
  • sketch nets of cubes, cuboids, cylinders, pyramids and cones in different situations
  • work out the surface area of the solids from nets of solids in different situations
  • determine the distance between two points on the surface of a solid in different situations
  • make models of hollow and compact solids for skills development
  • use drawing materials to draw models and nets of solids in different situations
  • promote the use of common solids in real-life situations

Key questions

“What are common solids?”

“How do we use common solids in real life?”

Lessons

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  1. Common solids around us
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Naming the five common solids and finding real examples of each in the immediate environment.
  2. Faces, edges and vertices
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The three parts every flat-faced solid has, how to count them, and the pattern that connects them.
  3. The net of a cube
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Opening a cube out flat, recognising which arrangements fold back up, and sketching the net.
  4. The net of a cuboid
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Opening a box with three different rectangle sizes, and getting all six measurements right.
  5. The net of a cylinder
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Why a curved surface unrolls into a rectangle, and how long that rectangle has to be.
  6. The net of a pyramid
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    A base with triangles folded out from every side, and the difference between slant height and height.
  7. The net of a cone
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    A circle for the base and a sector for the curved surface, and why the sector is never a whole circle.
  8. Surface area of a cube
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Adding up the faces from the net, and working backwards from a given surface area.
  9. Surface area of a cuboid
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Three different rectangles, each counted twice, and what to do when a face is missing.
  10. Surface area of a cylinder
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The rectangle plus the two circles, with the open-tin case worked through as well.
  11. Surface area of a pyramid
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The base plus four identical triangles, using the slant height and not the height.
  12. Surface area of a cone
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The sector plus the base circle, with the open funnel case worked through.
  13. Distance between two points on a solid
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Opening the solid flat so that a path over its surface becomes a straight line you can measure.
  14. Making models of hollow solids
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Turning a drawn net into a finished container, with tabs, scoring and folding.
  15. Hollow and compact solids
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The difference between a container and a solid block, and modelling both with clay.
  16. Common solids in real life
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Why each shape is chosen for the job it does, and how to argue for the right shape.