3rd Grade Flat and Curved Faces Worksheet: Circles, Squares, Triangles

Can a cone have a triangle as a face? This 3rd grade flat and curved faces worksheet asks that kind of question. A table shows five drawn solids: a cylinder, a cone, a cube, a sphere and a triangular prism. First, your child writes the name of each shape, and next answers yes or no to short questions about the shapes of its faces. Finally, a last column asks for a reason in one sentence. Page two is the answer key, with every name, answer and reason written out.

The answers, checked again on the drawings

We checked every answer again on the drawings of page one. The original key said yes for a triangle face on the cone and yes for a circle face on the sphere. Both answers were wrong, so we fixed them before we shared the sheet. A cone has one circular face and one curved face, and its side only looks like a triangle in the drawing.

We also named the last shape in full, because the drawing shows a triangular prism. This sheet counts a curved surface as a face, like the edges and vertices worksheet. However, some books count only flat faces. The yes and no answers stay the same with both rules, so your child can follow the teacher's rule.

At the table: a face leaves a print

A simple test helps with every question. Ask your child which print the shape would leave if you pressed it into sand. A flat face leaves a clean shape, like a circle or a square. A curved face only touches the sand at one spot, so a ball leaves no circle at all.

The cube question has a small trap: every square is also a rectangle, so the answer is yes for both questions. Faces of solid shapes are a review from grade 2, so the reasons in the last column matter more than the names. Let your child say each reason aloud before writing it.

After the page: stamp the shapes at home

Real 3D shapes make the faces easy to see. Press a can, a small box and a party hat into modeling clay, and let your child name the shape of each print. A cereal box leaves rectangles, while the can leaves a circle at each end. Afterwards, roll a ball over the clay and talk about why it leaves no print of a face. Finally, hunt for a triangular prism, such as a tent or a chocolate box.