Up: The Shape of Space Curriculum Materials

Dimensions - Exploring Flatland

The Shape of Space Curriculum Materials


Objectives

Materials

Activities

Have students explore what it would mean to be a two-dimensional being instead of a three-dimensional being. Ask a volunteer to come up to the board and draw a two-dimensional animal (a flatlander). The most common mistake that people make is with the placement of the flatlander's eyes. A person's first attempt at drawing a flatlander usually has the eyes on the inside of the head:

If this happens, ask the students, "How will the flatlander see another flatlander?" Also, people usually draw the mouth on the inside of the head, too. Then how will the flatlander eat? A reasonable second attempt at a flatlander head could look something like this:

Either continue discussion as a class, or let students explore possibilities in small groups using the questions on the activity sheet provided.

Wrap-up

At the end of the activity, look again at the flatlanders in The Shape of Space video. Ask the students some questions:


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