Number Crew 1: Shape and Space 1
Programme 1: Shape and Space – Recognising 3-D Shapes

Outline

The children of The Number Crew and several animal passengers are mysteriously whisked away from the SS Mathematical to a strange world of shapes. The children change into different 3-D shapes, which Matthew describes and names in a lively song. The animals reach the magic triangle to take them back to the ship, but before the children can get into it, the triangle disappears. The children are dismayed to think they have been abandoned in the land of shapes.

Recommendations for Use

It is recommended that teachers preview the programmes to note the places they might wish to stop the tape to encourage discussion. The programmes can be used as part of the introductory class activity, where the tape is stopped at pre-planned points and the whole class is encouraged to identify and review the problems posed or predict answers. Alternatively the programmes can be used as part of the main teaching activity before children pursue their differentiated tasks. At times it may be useful to use a whole programme as part of the plenary/last session of a lesson to allow children to review their own understanding of the work they have been doing and allow teachers to assess the children informally as they watch the programme.

Curriculum Relevance

The Number Crew 1: Shape and Space 1 is a unit of five 10-minute programmes designed to support key objectives in the National Numeracy Strategy for 5-6 year olds.

Activities

Before viewing

Have a collection of 3-D shapes or interesting boxes for the children to look at and feel. Make sure the children don't confuse names of 3-D shapes with 2-D shapes. For example, many children refer to a 'cube' as a 'square'.

After viewing

Talk about Matthew's challenge: Think about your toys and things at home. What shape do you have most of? Do you have most cubes, cuboids, cones or spheres?
Focus on one particular 3-D shape for a day and ask the children to collect examples. Have a 'Hunt the shape' walk around school. Make a book about the shapes the children find.
Make sure the children have lots of opportunities for practical model making using a range of 3-D shapes and building blocks. Talk about which shapes are good for building and which shapes are not.

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