Teacher: Okay class, today we’ve been going over some vocabulary words. I’m going to give you a vocabulary word and what I would like you to do is write it in your own words. So when I give this to you on the board we’ll talk through it and then you will work at your tables and you can work with a partner to come up with something that’s in your own words. If you would like to use pictures or whatever it is that will help you remember what this is. 

So the word we’re going to do is prism. A prism is a three-dimensional solid with two congruent polygon bases and with parallelograms for all lateral faces. So what you’re going to do is write this in your own words. Got it? All right, go.

Student: As you said, the sides don’t touch, they’re parallel. So it’s just like this here, you just like, follow the shape; And remember it’s in 3D, so it’s not possible to see all the sides like this.

Teacher: All right. I would love to hear in your own words how you would describe a prism, so would you be willing to share what you have so far?

Student: Um, sure. I wrote a prism can be a three dimensional shape that is not round and has straight lines.

Teacher: Okay a prism is a three dimensional shape that is not round and has straight lines. Who else would be willing to share?

Student: A prism is a 3D object and I drew a cube and said it has six faces, eight corners, and is parallel and straight sides and lateral faces.

Teacher: Awesome, awesome. So you used a picture in your definition also, right?

Student: Yes.