Build boxes using unit cubes to compare surface area and volume. The group performs multiple experiments to determine properties of volume, such as if it makes a difference which order the dimensions are multiplied in. Extensive...

In this geometry instructional activity on cylinders, geometers explore how to find the smallest surface area for a given volume.  They use their knowledge to relate it to the real world by making a model of a livestock tank.

Given a very realistic challenge, your young geometers design residential fish tanks in rectangular and triangular prism shapes. They compute the volume of water each will hold. They also determine the size of plastic covers for each...

Math whizzes examine the relationship between area and volume and the relationship between a 3-D shape and its surface area. Following discussion and practice, pupils participate in a project in which they design packaging for a new...

Apply geometric properties and formulae for surface area and volume by constructing a three-dimensional model of a city. Learners use similar and congruent figures and transformations to create a city of at least 10 buildings. They trade...

High schoolers determine the surface area of the Luxor Hotel, using the square feet of the base, volume, and the volume formula. They create a scale model of the triangular/pyramid shaped hotel.

Students explore measurements by analyzing geometric shapes. For this surface area lesson, students identify the terms volume, weight, perimeter and area in order to find the requested measurements of specific polygons. Students utilize...

Discover a world too small to see. In the lesson, young scientists learn about nanotechnology and brainstorm ideas for new applications of it. They perform an activity to determine how surface area changes when objects are made smaller...

Geometric design makes a fashion statement! Challenge learners to design a hat to fit a Styrofoam model. Specifications are clear and pupils use concepts related to three-dimensional objects including volume of irregular shapes and...

Learners compute the surface area of 3 geometric solids to determine the shape of package that would require the least amount of paper to wrap. In this geometry lesson, students work on a two-question assessment embedded in the plan. The...

Blend art, adolescent snacking habits, and math to create new cereal boxes. Secondary learners review scale drawings. They use this information to construct cereal boxes to scale and will compare their creation to the original product to...

Middle schoolers calculate the cost of painting a room. In this surface area lesson plan, students create a scale model from provided dimensions of a bedroom. Groups use area formulas to find square footage, from which materials and...

Students study a variety of math concepts in the context of cooking up a meal. In this math lesson, students calculate surface area and volume. They draw and interpret different types of graphs.

Students create a scale model to a castle using the dimensions they were given. They calculate the surface areas and volumes of each section of their castle.

Middle schoolers create a mobile of boxes and cubes that they made in a previous lesson that can be accessed from this page. They design the mobile using method that an engineer would use to balance the items based on surface areas and...

NASA has crafted an imaginative and memorable series of lessons, "NASA and Jamestown Education Module." This lesson is one of the five components. In it, middle schoolers connect history and science by comparing the settlement of...

Students explore mass and volume. In this mass and volume lesson, students pretend to be on a hike and have lost their way. Students must cross a river get back on track. Students must use mass, volume, surface area, density, property...

Students measure prisms and determine their volume. In this measurement and reasoning lesson, students estimate the volume and area of prisms. They measure given boxes. Students use paper to create prisms and cylinders. They determine...

Students conduct a series of investigations on the unique properties of water. In this general science lesson, students explain what causes water's surface tension. They explain the different stages in the water cycle.

Students manipulate a variety of materials and computer applets in order to explore area and the units used to measure it.

Get a handle on equivalent fractions through the use of manipulatives. Using area models, sets, and length manipulatives like fraction strips and Cuisenaire rods, the class will gain a deeper understanding of equivalent fractions....

Students find the volume and surface area of a rectangular box (e.g., a cereal box), and then figure out how to convert that box into a new, cubical box having the same volume as the original. As they construct the new, cube-shaped box...

Students create model coral reefs showing surface area and including examples of communities.  In this coral reef instructional activity, students research and explore the functions or benefits from a coral reef.  Students...

Students investigate nets as they relate to volume and area. For this geometry lesson, students use nets as a visual to deepen their understanding of surface area and volume of objects. They make conjectures about different objects and...