Lesson 2:
What shape is it?
Coursebook p. 80–81 Workbook p. 60–61
LESSON OBJECTIVES
Speaking: Speaking about shapes
Listening: Listening to a radio programme
Critical thinking: Comparing; describing
Vocabulary: sphere, cube, cylinder, triangular
prism, hexagonal prism, square-based pyramid,
triangular pyramid, hemisphere, cone
Materials: Coursebook, Workbook, audio device,
internet access (optional), one copy of
Photocopiable activity 15 for each student
Starter
 Brainstorm with the class names of shapes they know.
Can they spell them?
 Invite students to write the words on the board.
 How many shapes can they see around them in the
classroom? Elicit answers.
Vocabulary
1 Match the words to the 3D (three-dimensional)
shapes.
 Tell the class to look at the pictures and the list of
shapes. They match the words to the shapes.
 Check as a class.
Answers
1 square-based pyramid 2 sphere 3 triangular pyramid 4 cube
5 triangular prism 6 hexagonal prism 7 cone
8 hemisphere 9 cylinder
2 A ‘net’ is a pattern that you can cut and fold to make
a 3D shape. Match these nets to the shapes in
Exercise 1.
 Tell students to read the explanation of what a ‘net’
is.
 They match the nets to the correct shapes in Exercise
1.
 Check as a class. What helped them decide?
Answers
1 cube 2 cone 3 triangular prism 4 hexagonal prism
Cambridge Global English for Cambridge Lower Secondary English as a Second Language Stage 8 Teacher’s Resource
© Cambridge University Press 2018
Listening
3 Listen to an extract from a radio programme. What
is it about? Who is it for?
 Tell students that they are going to listen to a radio
programme.
 They listen to an extract from the programme and
decide what it is about and who it is for.
 Check as a class.
Answers
A maths programme for children.
Audioscript Track 21
Man: We learn about shapes in Maths at school, but we don’t
think about how many of these shapes are around us all the
time. For example think of the shape of a cube. What
everyday objects are in the shape of a cube? Think of
something you put in your drink to make it cold. An ice cube.
Exactly. And there’s something sweet that sometimes comes
in the shape of a cube. Yes, a sugar cube.
Woman: What about a cone? Well, think of an ice cream: an ice
cream cone. And when you’re in the car and the road is
blocked, what do you see? Traffic cones.
Man: Let’s think about a sphere. What’s the first thing you think
of? The planet we live on? The earth is a sphere and so are the
other planets. Think of sport. What can you throw and catch? A
ball, exactly.
Woman: Now, objects that are cylindrical; that is in the shape of
a cylinder. Perhaps there aren’t so many of these. A can of cola,
for example, is cylindrical. But so are a lot of candles. In fact,
candles come in lots of shapes. Can you think of any more?
4 Listen again. The presenters give examples to
illustrate what they’re talking about. Write them in a
list.
 Ask students to listen to the audio recording again.
The presenters give examples to illustrate what
they’re talking about.
 Tell students to write them in a list.
Answers
cube: an ice cube, a sugar cube
cone: an ice cream cone, traffic cones
sphere: the earth, planets, a ball
cylinder: a can of cola, candles
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5 How many of the items on your list can you see 2 Fill in the missing words. Use a dictionary to
in the mystery photos? help you.
 Ask students to look at the photos and say how many
 Students use their dictionaries to fill in the missing
of the items on their list they can see. words.
 Check the answers as a class.
 Check as a class.

Answers
an ice cube, a traffic cone, a candle, a can of cola, Answers
an ice cream cone, a sugar cube Noun Adjective ending in -ar
circle circular
rectangle rectangular
Speaking triangle triangular
6 Work with a partner. The presenter says that Adjective ending in -ical
a lot of candles are cylindrical – in the shape of a sphere spherical
cylinder. She also says that candles come in a lot of cylinder cylindrical
shapes. Can you think of anymore? mathematics mathematical
 Tell students to work with a partner. The presenter biology biological
says that a lot of candles are cylindrical and that they Adjective ending in -al
also come in a lot of shapes. hexagon hexagonal
 Ask the class to think of more possible shapes. octagon octagonal
 When students have finished, you may have an open-
class discussion. Supply additional vocabulary as
necessary. Shape up! A maths Quiz
Informal assessment opportunity: Circulate, listening to  Students solve the quiz.
students’ interactions. Take notes of recurrent mistakes for  Check as a class.
remedial work.
Answers
7 In pairs, ask and answer these questions.
1 three 2 false 3 In a square, the sides are all equal. 4 six,
Still in pairs, students read and discuss the questions. eight 5 It’s got five sides 6 a square-based pyramid 7 a
 If necessary, tell them to search the Internet to find triangular pyramid 8 a triangular prism 9 six 10 cones
out about them.
 Tell pairs to make notes of their answers.
 You may consider having an open-class discussion.
Informal assessment opportunity: Circulate, listening to
students’ interactions. Make notes of recurrent mistakes for
remedial work.

Workbook
1 Label the three-dimensional shapes.
 Students label the shapes.
 Check as a class.

Answers
1 square-based pyramid 2 cube 3 cone 4 sphere
5 hemisphere 6 hexagonal prism 7 triangular prism
8 triangular pyramid 9 cylinder

Cambridge Global English for Cambridge Lower Secondary English as a Second Language Stage 8 Teacher’s Resource
© Cambridge University Press 2018
2
 Additional support and practice
 Students work in pairs. Take them to the school
garden, or a park, and ask them to find shapes in
nature and architecture.
 Alternatively, if an outdoor activity is not possible,
they look for and collect photographs of things in
nature, e.g. flowers, beehives, snowflakes,
buildings, etc. and find the shapes in them. They
make a poster with the photos, drawing the shapes
they have found over the photo.
Extend and challenge
 Complete Photocopiable activity 15.

Cambridge Global English for Cambridge Lower Secondary English as a Second Language Stage 8 Teacher’s Resource
© Cambridge University Press 2018
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