Architectural STEM Activity #7 | 3D Shapes City Plan
Create blocks out of paper to create buildings and place them on paper to organize a city plan. Measure the area & perimeter of your 3D blocks & the city itself.
M AT E R I A L S
If you don’t have any graph paper, you can download some using the template below.
V O C A B U L A R Y
Perimeter: the distance around the outside of a shape.
Area: the amount of space taken up by the total surface of a shape.
Surface Area: the amount of space taken up by the total surface of a shape; the surface area of a 3-dimensional object is equal to the sum of the area of each face.
Volume: the 3-dimensional space enclosed by a boundary or occupied by an object; the amount of 3-dimensional space something takes up.
I N S T R U C T I O N S
Step 1: Cut out 3D shapes to represent buildings. Use the templates below as a guide.
Cube Template | Cuboid Template | Square Pyramid Template | Triangular Prism Template | Cube with a Square Pyramid Top Template
Step 2: Add color to your 3D buildings.
Step 3: Fold along the dotted lines of the templates.
Step 4: Tape the edges of each 3D shape.
Step 5: Calculate the Surface Area & Volume of each 3D shape. The length of each “box” on your graph paper/template is equal to 1 unit.
Step 6: Arrange your 3D shapes to create a city plan onto a blank piece of graph paper.
Step 7: Arrange your 3D shapes to create a city plan onto a blank piece of graph paper. The length of each “box” on your graph paper/template is equal to 1 unit.
C H A L L E N G E
How many buildings can you fit into your city? Post a photo of your creations using the hashtag #BuildWithBreaux. Be sure to also identify the name of your elementary school. Each post using this hashtag will serve as an entry for your elementary school to win a 3D Printer.