Get your students thinking critically about 3D objects with our Who’s the Imposter?: Attributes of 3D Objects PowerPoint. This interactive resource challenges students to identify the odd one out based on the features of 3D shapes - and most importantly, justify their thinking!

Each slide presents a group of 3D objects. Students must look closely at their attributes and determine which one is the imposter. They are then encouraged to explain their reasoning - developing vocabulary, reasoning and mathematical language around 3D shapes.

Who’s the Imposter?: Attributes of 3D Objects PowerPoint is a perfect warm-up, daily spiral review, or whole-lesson conversation starter. Students can work individually, in pairs or small groups to discuss and defend their ideas, making this a collaborative and engaging task.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify and describe attributes of common 3D objects
• ✅ Use mathematical reasoning to compare and contrast shapes
• ✅ Justify and explain thinking using shape-related vocabulary

What’s Included:

• Interactive PowerPoint with multiple 'Imposter' slides featuring 3D objects
• Student response cards for hands-on sorting and discussion
• Printable recording sheet for written justification

Materials Needed:

• Interactive whiteboard or device capable of running PowerPoint
• Optional: small whiteboards to use for extra hands-on learning

How to Use:

1. Open the PowerPoint on your interactive whiteboard or device.
2. Display a slide and review the group of 3D objects.
3. Ask students to identify the imposter based on its attributes.
4. Encourage students to justify their answer and explain their reasoning.
5. Use student response cards or have students record their thinking on paper.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use as a warm-up during your 3D objects unit to activate prior knowledge
• 💡 Incorporate into maths rotations for reasoning and discussion practise
• 💡 Use with a partner or small group to promote mathematical conversation
• 💡 Pair with physical 3D shapes for concrete comparison and analysis
• 💡 Use student responses to create a class anchor chart of shape language

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Have students use sentence starters like “I think the imposter is... because...”
• 💛 Encourage multiple possible answers to spark deeper discussion
• 💛 Use the recording sheet as a formative assessment for reasoning and vocabulary

Who’s the Imposter?: Attributes of 3D Objects PowerPoint is a powerful way to build deep mathematical understanding while developing your students’ confidence in analysing and explaining 3D object properties.

Loving this ‘Who’s the Imposter’ activity? Why not try our other resources in this range:

• Who’s the Imposter? 3-Digit Numbers
• Who’s the Imposter? Place Value 100 to 1000