---
title: Building an Icosahedron in Math in French - 6th grade
description: Building an Icosahedron in Math in French - 6th grade
image: https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_04151-300x225-1.jpg
---

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# Building an Icosahedron in Math in French - 6th grade

[Middle School](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/tag/middle-school) [STEM](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/tag/stem) [French Immersion](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/tag/french-immersion)

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![Building an Icosahedron in Math in French - 6th grade](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_04151-300x225-1.jpg)

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During the week before Spring break, half of the class was in China. The other half stayed in Palo Alto, and built an Icosahedron!

An icosahedron is a geometric solid consisting of twenty faces. Each face is an equilateral triangle.

**Step 1: The triangles' size  **Students were given 3 tri-fold boards : 36x48 in (91,4x121,9 cm). Their goal was to build the largest icosahedron possible with these 3 boards.

First, they had to brainstorm on the triangles' size.![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_04151-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=IMG_04151-300x225-1.jpg)[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_04171-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=IMG_04171-300x225-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0417-2/)

After having confronted their thoughts, they agreed for a solution: To cut 30 cm equilateral triangles. The solution was not optimal for the size but easier to build considering the folding board.

[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_04222-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=IMG_04222-300x225-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0422-3/)

**Step 2** : **Drawing the triangles**.  
Given the size of the triangles, some chose to use the big board compass, others preferred to use a protactor to ensure that their triangles had 60 degree angles.

[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_04251-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=IMG_04251-300x225-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0425-2/)

**Step 3 : Cutting the triangles.**

**[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_04261-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=IMG_04261-300x225-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0426-2/)**

**Step 4 : Punching holes (for me) and coloring the faces ( for the students).**

**Step 5 : Assembling the structure.**I provided our structure's net because we lacked of time to think about it. Students used twist ties to connect the faces that were adjacent, then, little by little, they connected all the faces.[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_06721-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=IMG_06721-300x225-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0672-2/)

[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_06752-e1334815127872-225x300-1.jpg?width=225&height=300&name=IMG_06752-e1334815127872-225x300-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0675-3/)

 

[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_06952-e1334815175174-225x300-1.jpg?width=225&height=300&name=IMG_06952-e1334815175174-225x300-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0695-3/)

 

**[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_07031-300x225-1.jpg?width=300&height=225&name=IMG_07031-300x225-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0703-2/)[![](https://blog.siliconvalleyinternational.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Miscellaneous/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_07012-225x300-1.jpg?width=225&height=300&name=IMG_07012-225x300-1.jpg)](http://blogs.istp.org/blog/2012/04/24/building-an-icosahedron-in-math-in-french-6th-grade/img_0701-3/)Congratulations to Alexandra, Riley, Margot, Noor, Joseph, Killian, Alan and Eliot ! **

**\*In 2020, the International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) formally changed its name to Silicon Valley International School (INTL) to better reflect its bilingual programs, location, and international values.**

 

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