▶ TrainingGet Pro
Menu
All tools & lessonsAll toolsAllGet the appApp
Learning departments Music, Maths, Cookery, Programming and Art are open – explore →

3-D shapes and nets – Year 3 maths lesson

Lesson 23 of 24 in the Year 3 maths course

UK version. UK school years, UK spelling and pounds (£). · US Math Department

A complete 45-minute lesson for Year 3 (ages 7–8) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is marked straight away, with a worked explanation.

Time
45 minutes + 15 min homework
Year
Year 3 (ages 7–8)
You need
Paper, a pencil and this page
Marked
Instantly, with explanations

For parents: how to use this lesson

You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is marked straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to mark anything.

  1. Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
  2. Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
  3. Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
  4. Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “How many different nets of a cube can you find?”
  5. Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.

Watch out for

  • Counting the same edge twice. Mark each edge as you count it.
  • Thinking any six squares make a cube net. Imagine folding it: do two squares overlap?

Tip for home: Unfold boxes from the recycling to see their nets.

What your child will learn

We are learning to describe 3-D shapes by their faces, edges and vertices and recognise their nets.

Success looks like

  • I can name 3-D shapes.
  • I can count faces, edges and vertices.
  • I can recognise nets.

Key words

face
a flat surface
edge
where two faces meet
vertex
a corner (vertices)
net
a flat pattern that folds into a solid

What to have ready

  • Paper and a pencil
  • This page on a computer, tablet or phone
  • For the hands-on part: Unfold a cereal box to see its net, then fold it back up. Count the faces, edges and vertices.

The big ideas (for the adult)

A 3-D shape has faces (flat surfaces), edges (where faces meet) and vertices (corners).

Prisms have the same shape all the way through; pyramids come to a point.

A net is a flat shape that folds up to make a 3-D shape.

The lesson, step by step

45 minutes in 5 parts
PartTimeHow it is checked
Starter: quick recall5 minMarked by Classfern
Teaching input10 minNot assessed, self-checked
Worked examples and guided practice9 minNot assessed, marked by Classfern
Independent practice15 minMarked by Classfern
Plenary and exit ticket6 minMarked by Classfern, self-checked

Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are marked by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.

The lesson

It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.

Homework and practice at home

15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all marked instantly.

More practice

All Year 3 maths lessons and tests · Maths Department

More Year 3 maths lessons

Curriculum

National Curriculum for England, Year 3: “draw 2-D shapes and make 3-D shapes using modelling materials; recognise 3-D shapes in different orientations and describe them”

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.