
MathemActive Midsize Soma Puzzle
Students use critical thinking and teamwork skills to solve this large, yet easily maneuverable geometric puzzle cube!
Medium in size, this Soma cube is larger than your average puzzle yet easy to move around and stack. Students build problem-solving skills as they assemble 7 differently shaped pieces to create a cube. The cube is 30” x 30” x 30” and weighs 15 lb once assembled. The polyester-covered high-density foam pieces are large enough to double as fun furniture. With over 200 unique solutions, puzzle time stays fresh and interesting.
To ramp up the excitement, try creating other shapes from the included Soma Puzzle Cards. This set of 25 cards includes different shapes students can make from the pieces, such as a tower, a couch, and more. Storage box for cards also included. Accommodates 6 students. Recommended for Upper Elementary and up.
Click here to view a sample of the included lesson directions.
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics*:
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.3: Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane) or three-dimensional (solid).
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.G.A.1: Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., a rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles) and non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size) of a shape; build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.G.A.1: Understand that shapes in different categories may share attributes, and that the shared attributes can define a larger category.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.G.A.2: Partitions shapes into parts with equal areas and expresses the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.B.3: Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.B.4: Classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.GMG.A.1: Identify and apply geometric transformations in the coordinate plane.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.GMG.A.3: Describe the effect of dilations, translations, rotations, and reflections on two-dimensional figures using coordinates.
- CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSG.GMD.B.4: Use coordinates to prove simple geometric theorems algebraically.
*National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Washington, DC: Authors.