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.
Willow Tree
Surface Area of Three-Dimensional Figures
Lateral area and surface area are simple concepts, but calculating them is not as easy! Using formulas, learners calculate lateral area and surface area for the same three-dimensional figures. The resource discusses the formula variables...
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...
Virginia Department of Education
Surface Area and Volume
Partners use materials to wrap three-dimensional objects to determine the formula for surface area. The groups use an orange to calculate the amount of peel it takes to completely cover the fruit. Using manipulatives, individuals then...
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,...
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 Areas of Prisms, Pyramids and Cylinders
Learners identify and use appropriate formulas to find surface areas of solid figures, practice using formula sheet to solve textbook problems, construct solid figures of given surface area using TABS+ software program, and use Internet...
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
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.
Illustrative Mathematics
Painting a Barn
When painting a barn you have to calculate surface area, and that is exactly what this resource is about. Not only will your future home owners calculate the surface area, but also the cost. It is a real-life problem that every that...
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...
Curated OER
Area, Surface, and Volume
Ninth graders demonstrate application of area, surface, and volume. They apply formulas to a model of the classroom so they can determine the volume and surface area of the classroom.
Cord Online
Pyramids and Cones
Young mathematicians find the surface area and volume of a square pyramid and a cone. In what looks like a typical activity out of a textbook, you'll find an activity where learners find an unknown measurement of a pyramid or cone,...
Curated OER
NetsS.A. of Prisms
Students build nets of three-dimensional prisms based on the dimensions they are given for hexagonal prism, triangular prism, rectangular prism. Working in groups, they use their prisms and calculate the Surface Area and Lateral Area.
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Candies R Us
A box is fun to make, especially when it's a candy box! These activities help to cement understanding of the difference between surface area and volume. Have individuals measure the surface area of their box in two-dimensions before...
Curated OER
CORNER CABINET
Ninth and tenth graders calculate the length, width, height, perimeter, area, volume, surface area, angle measures or sums of angle measures of common geometric figures. They solve problems involving scale drawings, models, maps or...
Illustrative Mathematics
Christo’s Building
Hook your charges on how to solve a real-world art problem with mathematics by showing works of Christo. You can find eye-catching images on the Christo and Jeanne Claude webpage. Here, math learners help Jean Claude and Christo prepare...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Designing 3d Products: Candy Cartons
Wouldn't it be great to work in a candy factory? Learners get their chance as they first design a carton for a candy that meets certain requirements. They then examine and analyze nets and explanations in sample student responses.
Curated OER
Polydron Fun
Young scholars investigate nets as they relate to volume and area. In 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...
Shodor Education Foundation
InteGreat
Hands-on investigation of Riemann sums becomes possible without intensive arithmetic gymnastics with this interactive lesson plan. Learners manipulate online graphing tools to develop and test theories about right, left, and midpoint...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Designing a 3d Product in 2d: a Sports Bag
Sew up pupil interest with an engaging, hands-on instructional activity. Learners first design a sports bag given constraints on the dimensions of fabric. They then evaluate provided sample responses to identify strengths and weaknesses...
Curated OER
Attributes & Nets of a Cube
Third graders engage in a lesson that focuses on the attributes and forming of a cube. They construct a cube using different combinations while comparing a square with only two-dimensions. Students fold paper while following the...
Curated OER
Building a Box
Young scholars create different two dimensional nets that can be folded to create a cube. In this visual spacial awareness lesson, students explore different ways that two-dimensional objects can be laid out to create a three dimensional...
Curated OER
Geometry and Tony Smith Sculpture
Students respond to Tony Smith's sculpture as art and brainstorm about math concepts inherent in his work. They create a sculpture with polyhedra nets, calculate the cost of covering sculpture in gold, and write an exhibit label for...