Math  /  6th Grade  /  Unit 7: Geometry

Geometry

Students explore measurements of geometric figures in two-and three-dimensions, finding area, surface area, and volume in mathematical and real-world problems.

Math

Unit 7

6th Grade

Unit Summary

In Unit 7, 6th grade students explore measurements in geometric space in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures. Throughout previous grade levels, students have been composing and decomposing geometric figures. In 6th grade, students apply those concepts of composition and decomposition to new and familiar shapes to formulate properties and formulas for finding area (MP.7). By understanding the area of rectangular arrays and using regularity in repeated reasoning, students are able to determine the area of parallelograms, triangles, and other polygons that are formed from these shapes (MP.8). Students also re-engage in major work of the grade in a few ways. They use their knowledge of the coordinate plane and absolute value to represent and measure polygons in a four-quadrant plane, they write equations to represent volume of rectangular prisms with fractional side lengths, and they write and evaluate numerical expressions to represent the surface area of prisms and pyramids.

In 5th Grade Math, students explored volume as a measurement of a three-dimensional solid with whole-number side lengths. In this unit, students will reinvestigate how to find volume when packing solids now with fractional unit cubes. They will rely on their skills of working with fractions from 5th grade and earlier in their 6th-grade year. 

Throughout the geometry standards in 6th grade through 8th grade, students will encounter increasingly complex and multi-part geometric measurement problems, culminating in 8th Grade Math with standard 8.G.9. Learning how to make sense of these complex problems, determine solution pathways, and organize information will be important skills for students to have as the demands and rigor levels increase (MP.1).

Pacing: 19 instructional days (17 lessons, 1 flex day, 1 assessment day)

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Assessment

The following assessments accompany Unit 7.

Pre-Unit

Have students complete the Pre-Unit Assessment and Pre-Unit Student Self-Assessment before starting the unit. Use the Pre-Unit Assessment Analysis Guide to identify gaps in foundational understanding and map out a plan for learning acceleration throughout the unit.

Mid-Unit

Have students complete the Mid-Unit Assessment.

Post-Unit

Use the resources below to assess student understanding of the unit content and action plan for future units.

Expanded Assessment Package

Use student data to drive instruction with an expanded suite of assessments. Unlock Pre-Unit and Mid-Unit Assessments, and detailed Assessment Analysis Guides to help assess foundational skills, progress with unit content, and help inform your planning.

Unit Prep

Intellectual Prep

Unit Launch

Before you teach this unit, unpack the standards, big ideas, and connections to prior and future content through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.

Internalization of Standards via the Post-Unit Assessment

  • Take Post-Unit Assessment. Annotate for: 
    • Standards that each question aligns to
    • Strategies and representations used in daily lessons
    • Relationship to Essential Understandings of unit 
    • Lesson(s) that Assessment points to

Internalization of Trajectory of Unit

  • Read and annotate the Unit Summary.
  • Notice the progression of concepts through the unit using the Lesson Map.
  • Do all Target Tasks. Annotate the Target Tasks for: 
    • Essential Understandings
    • Connection to Post-Unit Assessment questions
  • Identify key opportunities to engage students in academic discourse. Read through our Teacher Tool on Academic Discourse and refer back to it throughout the unit.

Unit-Specific Intellectual Prep

Essential Understandings

  • The area of any triangle is half the area of a rectangle with the same base and height: $${A={1\over2}bh}$$.
  • The area of polygons can be found by decomposing the polygon into familiar shapes or by building around the polygon and subtracting the extra area.
  • The volume of a prism with fractional side lengths is equal to the number of fractional unit cubes it takes to fill the prism multiplied by the volume of one fractional unit cube. The volume of any rectangular prism can be found by multiplying the length, width, and height.
  • A three-dimensional figure can be represented by a two-dimensional net; nets are valuable tools in understanding and determining the surface area of three-dimensional figures.

Vocabulary

Unit Vocabulary

acute triangle

area

base

composition

decomposition

edge

face

height

net

obtuse triangle

parallelogram

polygon

polyhedron

prism

pyramid

right triangle

surface area

trapezoid

unit cube

vertex

volume

To see all the vocabulary for Unit 7, view our 6th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.

Materials

  • Optional: Calculators (1 per student)
  • Optional: Graph Paper (2-3 sheets per student)
  • Optional: Index cards (1 per student)
  • Optional: Geoboards (1 per student)
  • Template: Nets (1 per student)
  • Three-dimensional solids (Teacher set) — We suggest purchasing a teacher set of folding nets for this lesson in order to model to students.

To see all the materials needed for this course, view our 6th Grade Course Material Overview.

Lesson Map

Topic A: Area of Triangles, Quadrilaterals, and Polygons

Topic B: Polygons in the Coordinate Plane

Topic C: Volume of Rectangular Prisms

Topic D: Nets and Surface Area

Common Core Standards

Key

Major Cluster

Supporting Cluster

Additional Cluster

Core Standards

Geometry

  • 6.G.A.1 — Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
  • 6.G.A.2 — Find the volume of a right rectangular prism with fractional edge lengths by packing it with unit cubes of the appropriate unit fraction edge lengths, and show that the volume is the same as would be found by multiplying the edge lengths of the prism. Apply the formulas V = l w h and V = b h to find volumes of right rectangular prisms with fractional edge lengths in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
  • 6.G.A.3 — Draw polygons in the coordinate plane given coordinates for the vertices; use coordinates to find the length of a side joining points with the same first coordinate or the same second coordinate. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.
  • 6.G.A.4 — Represent three-dimensional figures using nets made up of rectangles and triangles, and use the nets to find the surface area of these figures. Apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

Foundational Standards

Expressions and Equations

  • 6.EE.A.1
  • 6.EE.B.7

Measurement and Data

  • 3.MD.C.7
  • 3.MD.C.7.D
  • 4.MD.A.3
  • 5.MD.C.5
  • 5.MD.C.5.B
  • 5.MD.C.5.C

Number and Operations—Fractions

  • 5.NF.B.4
  • 5.NF.B.6

The Number System

  • 6.NS.A.1
  • 6.NS.C.6

Future Standards

Geometry

  • 7.G.A.1
  • 7.G.A.2
  • 7.G.A.3
  • 7.G.B.4
  • 7.G.B.5
  • 7.G.B.6
  • 8.G.C.9

Standards for Mathematical Practice

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1 — Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2 — Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP3 — Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 — Model with mathematics.

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5 — Use appropriate tools strategically.

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP6 — Attend to precision.

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP7 — Look for and make use of structure.

  • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP8 — Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

Read Next

Geometry
Lesson 1
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