Activity

Penny Wars

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

As the saying goes, a penny saved is a penny earned. Young scholars use a penny activity to earn their way to an understanding of volume. Given three different-sized cylindrical containers, individuals make calculations to determine the container with the greatest volume.

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CCSS: Designed
Additional Tags
Instructional Ideas
  • Include during a unit on volumes of solids
  • Prior to calculations, ask learners to guess which container holds the most pennies and then defend their answers
Classroom Considerations
  • Expects proficiency with volume calculations
Pros
  • Creates a real-life problem-solving situation that compares volumes of cylinders
  • Offers ideas to extend the lesson to a comparison of the effect of height and radius on the volume of a cylinder
Cons
  • The lesson does not provide the dimensions of the cylinders but instead expects pupils to estimate their heights and radii
Common Core