Shapes and Volume

Lesson 1

Math

Unit 3

5th Grade

Lesson 1 of 16

Objective


Understand volume as an attribute of solid figures that is measured in cubic units. Find the volume of concrete three-dimensional figures.

Common Core Standards


Core Standards

  • 5.MD.C.3 — Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
  • 5.MD.C.4 — Measure volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, and improvised units.

Foundational Standards

  • 3.MD.C.5

Criteria for Success


  1. Understand that volume is the measurement of how much space a solid figure takes up. 
  2. Understand that volume is measured in cubic units, or cubes with side length 1 unit.
  3. Find the volume of unconventional three-dimensional shapes by counting unit cubes.
  4. Find the volume of rectangular prisms by counting unit cubes. 

Tips for Teachers


  • Students use centimeter cubes as a physical unit in this lesson, but for now they will just refer to these as unit cubes and report measurements in terms of cubic units (instead of cubic centimeters). This allows students to "focus directly on the attribute being measured,...avoids conflicting objectives in introductory lessons,...and provide a good rationale for using standard units" (Van de Walle, Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics, Grades 3-5, p. 316). Students will be introduced to standard units, including cubic centimeters but also cubic inches, feet, etc.) in Lesson 6. 
  • Using cardstock, Nets A-C, and tape, create at least one of each open-top containers A (which measures $$2$$ cm $$\times\:2$$ cm $$\times\:8$$ cm), B (which measures $$4$$ cm $$\times\:4$$ cm $$\times\:4$$ cm), and C (which measures $$3$$ cm $$\times\:4$$ cm $$\times\:5$$ cm) by printing out each template on cardstock, cutting it out along the solid lines, folding along the dotted lines, and taping it to create an open-top container. 
  • You might want to construct multiple open-top containers so that students can explore volume in a more hands-on way rather than the figures being presented at the front of the class. 
  • For #1 of the Problem Set, set up stations labeled A–H around the room. At each station, construct a figure with centimeter cubes with a volume less than or equal to 20 cubes. Make some of the figures rectangular prisms and others more irregular.
  • For the Extra Practice Problems, students will need baggies of unit cubes in order to complete it.

Lesson Materials

  • Nets A-C (1 per student or small group) — See Tips for Teachers for how to prepare this material before the lesson.
  • Optional: Cardstock (3 sheets per student or small group) — See Tips for Teachers for more information.
  • Tape (1 per teacher) — See Tips for Teachers for more information.
  • Centimeter cubes (About 70 per student or small group)
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Anchor Tasks

25-30 minutes


Problem 1

Does Figure A or B take up more space? Justify your answer. 

(Teachers: Present students the constructed open-top containers of figures A and B from Nets A-C.)

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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Problem 2

Volume is the measure of how much space something takes up. Compare the volume of Figures B and C.

(Teachers: Present students the constructed open-top containers of figures B and C from Nets A-C.)

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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Problem 3

a.   Construct a figure that is 1 unit tall, 2 units wide, and 2 units long. What is its volume?

b.   Construct another figure with the same volume.  

c.   Does the following figure have the same volume? Why or why not?

Guiding Questions

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Student Response

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References

EngageNY Mathematics Grade 5 Mathematics > Module 5 > Topic A > Lesson 1Concept Development

Grade 5 Mathematics > Module 5 > Topic A > Lesson 1 of the New York State Common Core Mathematics Curriculum from EngageNY and Great Minds. © 2015 Great Minds. Licensed by EngageNY of the New York State Education Department under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US license. Accessed Dec. 2, 2016, 5:15 p.m..

Modified by Fishtank Learning, Inc.

Problem Set

15-20 minutes


Discussion of Problem Set

  • Look at #1. Which figures were more difficult to find the volume of than others? Why? 
  • Look at #2. Was there more than one correct answer? Why?

Target Task

5-10 minutes


What is the volume of the figures at the front of the classroom?

(Teachers: Have figures constructed that look like this:)

a.   

b.   

Student Response

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Additional Practice


The Extra Practice Problems can be used as additional practice for homework, during an intervention block, etc. Daily Word Problems and Fluency Activities are aligned to the content of the unit but not necessarily to the lesson objective, therefore feel free to use them anytime during your school day.

Word Problems and Fluency Activities

Word Problems and Fluency Activities

Help students strengthen their application and fluency skills with daily word problem practice and content-aligned fluency activities.

Next

Find the volume of pictorial three-dimensional figures.

Lesson 2
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Lesson Map

A7CB09C2-D12F-4F55-80DB-37298FF0A765

Topic A: Volume of Three-Dimensional Figures

Topic B: Classification of Two-Dimensional Shapes

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