+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's a Ball, It's a Sphere ... No, It's a Dodecahedron

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders construct a dodecahedron that displays facts about two and three-dimensional figures. They use a pattern to construct a dodecahedron after writing facts about geometry onto each of the figure's twelve faces.
+
Handout
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The Math Forum: Ask Dr. Math: Faq, Geometric Figures

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page brings you to a table of contents of three-dimensional figures. Selecting a figure will bring you to a page defining and illustrating the figure with applicable formulas listed.
+
Handout
Cool Math

Coolmath: Coolmath4kids: Polyhedra Gallery

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A gallery of complex polyhedra with descriptions and characteristics.
+
Unit Plan
Cuemath

Cuemath: Platonic Solids

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn more about platonic sold geometry, understand the platonic solid names, view some solved examples, and try your hand at some interactive problems.
+
Interactive
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The Math Forum: Studying Polyhedra

For Students 9th - 10th
This site not only defines what a polyhedron is, but it allows you to view each of the five regular polyhedra through an interactive exercise. After selecting which polyhedron you'd like to see, it will tell you its name and how many...
+
Lesson Plan
Ministry of Education and Universities of the Region of Murcia (Spain)

Ministerio De Educacion Y Ciencia: Los Poliedros Regulars Y La Esfera

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Interactive resources and activities dealing with properties and characteristic of the five polyhedrons and the sphere.
+
Study Guide
Oswego City School District

Regents Exam Prep Center: Platonic Solids

For Students 9th - 10th
Did you know that the five regular platonic solids (tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron, cube, and dodecahedron) were thought to represent earth, air, fire, water, and the universe? This chart shows an image and provides a description...
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Mathline: Let's Face It [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Check out this math project about polyhedra! Students will enjoy the hands-on activity while they learn about tetrahedrons, hexahedrons, octahedrons, dodecahedrons, and icosahedrons. [Requires Adobe Reader.]
+
Activity
Math Is Fun

Math Is Fun: Platonic Solids: Why Five?

For Students 9th - 10th
Use Euler's Formula and properties of known platonic solids' faces, edges, and vertices to determine why only five platonic solids exist.
+
Handout
Oswego City School District

Regents Exam Prep Center: Polyhedra

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
View and learn about five different polyhedra: tetrahedron, octahedron, icosahedron, hexahedron, and dodecahedron. Learn what Euler's Polyhedra Theorem is, and see examples of non-polyhedra as well.
+
Handout
Depaul University

Depaul University: Inscribing Regular Polygons

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
In this lesson, students learn to inscribe regular polygons inside a circle.
+
Handout
University of Georgia

University of Georgia: Inter Math: Platonic Solids

For Students 9th - 10th
This site gives a description of platonic solids along with a visual representation of each of the five platonic solids. At the bottom of the page are links to cut-out-templates for each of the platonic solids. Be sure to follow the...
+
Interactive
Walter Fendt

Walter Fendt: The Platonic Solids

For Students 9th - 10th
A short interactive activity to visualize the different platonic solids. You can also change the axis of rotation.
+
Article
Creative Science Centre

Creative Science Centre: Shapes Platonic and Archimedean Solids

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
The 'Platonic solids' are three-dimensional shapes formed by putting together identical regular faces. Every corner and every edge is identical to every other corner and edge. There are five such 'solids': the tetrahedron, cube,...
+
eBook
Mathigon

Mathigon: Geometry: Polygons and Polyhedra: Platonic Solids

For Students 9th - 10th
A Platonic solid is a polyhedron made up of only one kind of regular polygon, that looks the same from every direction. (In other words, the same number of faces meet at every vertex.) There are only five different Platonic solids:...
+
Unit Plan
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The Math Forum: Ask Dr. Math: Polyhedra Classification

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This question and answer site provides a lot of basic information about polyhedra. The five regular polyhedra, "The Platonic Solids," are described.
+
Activity
NumberNut

Number Nut: Shapes, Symbols, and Colors: 3 D Shapes

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
This lesson describes three dimensional shapes and provides two interactive practice activities.
+
Handout
Other

Platonic Realms: The Irrationality of the Square Root of Two

For Students 9th - 10th
An informative resource on the nature of Platonic Solids and what constitutes these figures.
+
Activity
Other

Polyhedra: The Five Platonic Solids

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A brief site that includes some activities to understand the figures.
+
Activity
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The Math Forum: Polyhedra Nets Paper

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Contains six examples of polyhedra nets (cube, tetrahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron, cubosctahedron).
+
Unit Plan
Math Is Fun

Math Is Fun: Making 3 D Solids

For Students 2nd - 8th Standards
This tutorial features templates and instructions to make the following solids: tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron.
+
Interactive
Math Is Fun

Math Is Fun: Spinning Dodecahedron

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Students learn about the terminology and formulas associated with a dodecahedron. The learning resource consists of definitions and an interactive spinning dodecahedron.
+
Activity
University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge: Nrich: Skeleton Shapes

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
At this one page website a variety of polyhedra are shown. The challenge is to create the skeleton for each polyhedron and identify the needed materials. You can check your solution right at the website.
+
Activity
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

The Math Forum: Ask Dr. Math: Stellated Dodecahedron

For Students 9th - 10th
This question and answer site provides information about stellated dodecahedrons, as well as several internet links to this topic.