Virginia Department of Education
Surface Area of a Rectangular Prism
Wrap up a lesson on surface area with a resource that asks scholars to use the idea of wrapping paper to investigate surface area. They draw representations of rectangular prisms on graph paper to find the areas of the respective...
Virginia Department of Education
Surface Area and Volume of a Cylinder
Surface area or volume? Pupils first review the difference between surface area and volume. They then use a two-dimensional net that helps them develop formulas for the surface area and volume of cylinders.
Digital Lesson
Cereal Box Surface Area
How much math can your learners pour out of a cereal box? Your middle schoolers will explore their favorite cereal and calculate the surface area, volume, and weight ratios and log this information on the provided worksheet. They get to...
Curated OER
Surface Area and Volume
Upper graders identify the surface area and attributes of figures that are measurable. They estimate, measure, and record perimeter, area, temperature change, and elapsed time, using a variety of strategies. They also determine the...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Volume and Surface Area
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...
Curated OER
Surface Area, Who Needs it?
In this geometry 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.
Discovery Education
Discovering Math: Exploring Geometry
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...
Teach Engineering
Boxed In and Wrapped Up
If cubes have the smallest surface area, why aren't there more cube-shaped packages? Scholars take a box in the shape of a rectangular prism, cut it up, and make new boxes in the shape of cubes with the same volume. They then brainstorm...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Insides and Outsides
Give small groups handfuls of unit cubes and then dare them to build as many rectangular prisms as possible using only 12 cubes. This engaging activity serves as an introduction to the volume of solid figures. In addition to volume,...
Alabama Learning Exchange
How Big Can a Bee Be?
Mathematicians analyze the relationships between surface area and volume. They conduct Internet research, conduct various experiments, record the data in a spreadsheet, and graph the results and compare the rate of increase of surface...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Sugar Crystal Challenge
Blow your learners' minds with a sweet lesson on nanotechnology that uses sugar to demonstrate the difference nanoscale surface area makes in dissolving and crystal formation. Plenty of supportive background information is read to...
Curated OER
Surface Area of Prisms
Students compute surface area and volume of prisms. In this surface area lesson, students find the surface area and volume of rectangular and triangular prisms. Independently, students use their computers to determine the volume,...
Curated OER
Surface Area and Volume
Students are introduced to the notion of surface area and volume, learn the terminology used with surface area and volume and have experimented with the surface area and volume of different prisms.
Curated OER
Surface area of a cylinder
Students construct a cylinder made of paper with detachable bases. Then they are taught the formulas for finding the area of a curved surface and the total surface area of a cylinder. A great hands-on approach!
Curated OER
Surface Area and Measuring
Tenth graders explore volume and surface area through percentages. In this geometry lesson, 10th graders analyze the surface area of two and three dimensional shapes, then use percents and ratio to compare the two.
EngageNY
The Volume Formula of a Sphere
What is the relationship between a hemisphere, a cone, and a cylinder? Using Cavalieri's Principle, the class determines that the sum of the volume of a hemisphere and a cone with the same radius and height equals the volume of a...
Curated OER
Volume and Surface Area of Right Rectangular Prisms
Students identify the formulas for three-dimensional figures. They use manipulatives to model problems. Students create foldables and explain volume and surface area. Students complete worksheets and classify solids. Students sing a...
Curated OER
Cover Up: Tools for Integrating Math and Engineering
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...
Curated OER
Volume of Solids: Algebra/Geometry Institute
Use this volume of solids lesson to have learners find the surface area and volume of cylinders, pyramids, and prisms. They place cubes inside three-dimensional figures to determine the volume. Worksheets and answers are provided.
Curated OER
Sphere Dressing
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...
Curated OER
The Luxor Hotel Contract
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.
Shodor Education Foundation
Triangle Area
While the lesson focuses on right triangles, this activity offers a great way to practice the area of all triangles through an interactive webpage. The activity begins with the class taking a square paper and cutting in in half; can they...
Teach Engineering
Discovering Relationships Between Side Length and Area
Consider the relationship between side length and area as an input-output function. Scholars create input-output tables for the area of squares to determine an equation in the first installment of a three-part unit. Ditto for the area of...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Maximizing Area: Gold Rush
Presenting ... the gold standard for a instructional activity. Learners first investigate a task maximizing the area of a plot for gold prospecting. They then examine a set of sample student responses to evaluate their strengths and...