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    • ▾6th grade
      • ▸Ratios, rates, and percentages
        • •Percentages
        • •Intro to ratios
        • •Unit rates
        • ▸Equivalent ratios
          • •Simplifying ratios
          • •Equivalent ratios (mathematical problems)
          • •Equivalent ratios (word problems)
          • •Find equivalent ratios using Cuisenaire rods
      • ▸Arithmetic operations
        • •Long division
        • •Decimal arithmetic
        • •Divide fractions
        • •Dividing whole numbers by fractions
        • •Raising numbers to whole number powers
        • •Mentally raising small numbers to small powers
        • •Powers of 10
        • •Multiplying and dividing by powers of 10
        • •Tower of Hanoi
        • •Counting in bases 5 and 2
        • •More on binary
        • •Remainders of large powers
      • ▸Negative numbers
        • •Intro to negative numbers
        • •Absolute value of rational numbers
        • •Plotting points in all four quadrants
      • ▸Factors and multiples
        • •Prime factorization
        • •Common factors
        • •GCD and LCM by making lists
        • •GCD and LCM by prime factorization
        • •GCD and LCM word problems
        • •Properties of the GCD and LCM
        • •Water pouring puzzles
        • •Factor with the distributive property (no variables)
        • •Relatively prime
      • ▸Variables and expressions
        • •Intro to variables
        • •Measurement with an unknown unit of length
        • •Convert phrases to algebraic expressions
        • •Identify parts of expressions
        • •Distributive property with variables
        • •Determining equivalence of algebraic expressions
      • ▸Equations and inequalities introduction
        • •Testing solutions to equations and inequalities
        • •Solving one-step equations, addition and subtraction
        • •Solving one-step equations, multiplication and division
        • •Model with one-step equations
        • •Modeling one-variable inequalities
        • •Dependent and independent variables
      • ▾Geometry
        • •Volume of right rectangular prisms with fractional lengths
        • •Area
        • •Number of diagonals in a convex polygon
        • •Counting vertices, edges, and faces
        • •Nets and surface area
        • •Surface area of rectangular prisms
        • •Coordinate plane
        • •Menseki Meiro puzzles
      • ▸Data and statistics
        • •Identifying statistical questions
        • •Plotting data
        • •Basic statistics
        • •Combining means
        • •Analyzing distributions
     › 6th grade › Geometry

    Nets and surface area

    Students will learn how to draw the net of a given 3D figure and deduce a 3D figure from its net. Students should be asked to draw some of these nets accurately. Here's an example. Students will also learn how to find the surface area of 3D figures from their nets. Students will solve both word problems and mathematical ones. Here's an excellent video on solving mathematical problems involving pyramids.

    Watch these Khan Academy videos:

    • Intro to nets of polyhedra
    • Surface area word problem example
    • Surface area of a box (cuboid)
    • Surface area of a box using nets
    • Surface area using a net: triangular prism
    • Surface area using a net: rectangular prism

    Do these Khan Academy exercises:

    • Nets of polyhedra
    • Surface area word problems
    • Surface area
    • Find surface area by adding areas of faces
    • Surface area using nets

    Next, give your students this challenge:

    Which Face? by NRICH

    Conclude by leading this investigation:

    Picasso’s Line Puzzles (patterns, multiplication, division)
    by MathPickle

    6.G.A.4: Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

    Lessons and practice problems