Author: Cindy Neuschwander

Publisher/Date: Henry Holt & Company, 2005

ISBN: 978-0-8050-7505-2

Grade Levels Recommended for Use: 6-8

Brief Summary: Twins Matt and Bibi go to Egypt with their parents to study a newly discovered pyramid. They end up getting separated from their parents and discover a hidden pharaoh's tomb by following geometric patterns on the pyramid walls.

Topics: geometric solids & shapes; nets; spatial reasoning

Suggested Activities:

1. Have the students design and create objects out of geometric solids, such as their own houses, castles, cars, etc.

2. Then have them count the faces of each shape and make a graph to categorize them.

3. Help students identify and name the solids they read about in the story. Collecting and sorting real solids is one good way to do this. Soup cans, ice cream cones, and various boxes make a good start.

4. Have students look at diagrams of flattened geometric solids (called geometric nets) and predict which drawings represent which solids. They can then cut out these nets and fold them into their solid shapes. This activity helps them practice their spatial reasoning skills.

5. Three-dimensional geometry is full of interesting relationships. For example, a tetrahedron is really a kind of pyramid. Students can investigate how shapes in the story are related to each other. Looking at a lost of attributes may give them some good clues.