TEACHERS: Jamy Myrmel
Discovering Volume
SUBJECT: Math
STANDARD:
 5.MD.3a-b
 5.MD.4
 5.MD.5a-b
OBJECTIVE (EXPLICIT):
 Find the volume of a rectangle solid
EVIDENCE OF MASTERY (MEASURABLE): TSWBAT use the volume formula to solve for the
volume of a rectangular solid
SUB-OBJECTIVES, SWBAT (SEQUENCED FROM BASIC TO COMPLEX):

KEY VOCABULARY:
MATERIALS:
Cubic, Area, Base, Rectangular Solid, Volume
Snap Cube or cm Cubes
Recording worksheet
Practice problems (at bottom of lesson)
TEACHER WILL:
Ask: What do you know about volume?
STUDENT WILL:
Tell what they know about volume.
BEFORE
Pose the problem to the students, “Mrs.
White bought a freezer. The freezer is
rectangular and the space inside measures
three feet long by two feet wide by five feet
high. What is the volume for the inside
space in the freezer?”
Say: Using cubes, build a 3x2 rectangle to
represent the bottom layer of space in the
freezer. How many cubic units are in this
layer? (Discuss methods to solve; ex- Area,
multiplication, counting, etc…)
Use snap cubes to create the “freezer.”
Record the results of the first cubic layer.
Say: Make four additional layers of 3x2 and
stack them on top of each other for five
total layers. This models the space inside
the freezer. Now how many cubic units are
in the model?
Record the results of the volume.
Guide the students to muliply the number of
cubic units in each layer by the number of
layers.
Work together with your group to come up
with a formula to solve a similar volume
problem.
Record groups volume formula and share
out.
Share out formulas and test them together
Introduce the two ways to write a volume
formula using what the students came up
with (V=LxWxH or V=BxH).
The activity can also be done with
centimeter cubes
DURING
TEACHER WILL:
Give the worksheet (with real world
problems) and guide students to practice
making the rectangular solids and solving
for volumes using the formula.
The remove the Snap Cubes and have the
students solve problems using pictures, the
dimensions and formula.
STUDENT WILL: Using the worksheet to
guide them, they will create rectangular
solids using the snap cubes and determine
the length, width, height and volume. They
will then move onto looking at the picture
and dimensions and using the formula to
solve for volume.
AFTER
The last part is to give them verbal or
written dimensions (no picture) and have
them solve for volume using the formula.
TEACHER WILL:
Finally, ask the students the following
formative assessment; A hole is being dug
for an inground hot tub. The hole measures
5 meters long by four meters wide by 3
meters deep. How much water will fill the
hole (the volume)?
Ask: What is volume? When would you use
volume in real life?
STUDENT WILL:
Use the learned volume formula to solve
the question.
Volume Practice
Build the rectangular prism with the given dimensions. Then record the total
numver of cubic units (cubes). Try the formula that the class discovered with the
freezer problem. Does the formula work for all the rectangular prisms?
Length
Width
Height
1
5
1
1
2
4
2
5
3
4
3
2
4
2
4
2
5
6
1
2
6
1
3
3
7
3
2
5
8
4
4
2
9
5
1
6
Total Cubes