Lesson: Volume

Supplies:
At least five different boxes of varying sizes.
Rulers/Meter Sticks/Yard Sticks
Activity Worksheets (Provided)

Objective: Given five boxes of different sizes, students will predict which box has the largest
volume, measure the length, width, and height of each box, find the volume of each box, and
determine which box actually has the largest volume.

Anticipatory Set: Ask students a question that will get them thinking about the concept of
volume and how they might use it in a real-life situation. Sample questions:
If you needed to send a gift to your grandma, how would you tell if the box you were
sending it in was big enough?
If you wanted to get a box to hold all of your shoes (or clothes, jewelry, video games,
sports cards, etc.), what would you do to make sure that it was big enough?

Instruction: Show students how to measure a box to find its length, width, and height as well as
explain how to compute volume of a rectangular prism.

Activity: Have students work individually, in pairs, or in groups to measure five different boxes
or rectangular objects. They record the length, width, and height of each object. After they
measure the objects, they will calculate the volume using length x width x height.

Suggestions:
Have students calculate volume after measuring all the objects, so that they have time to
get all the measurements recorded. If they start trying to measure and compute volume,
they can get behind and miss out on some of the information.
If you are going to use the same objects for the whole class, make stations and rotate. I
would recommend getting ten objects or more, so that not everybody will be crowded
around the same boxes.
Make certain to tell students where to round off their answers. Are they rounding to the
whole number? Are they rounding to the tenths for centimeters? Are they rounding to
the nearest eighth for inches?

Differentiation:
If the assignment needs to be made easier:
o have students complete either inches or centimeters.
o have students round to the whole number.
If the assignment needs to be made more difficult:
o have students round to the nearest millimeter and to the nearest or 1/8 or 1/16.
o have students measure objects that are pyramids and use the formula
Volume=1/3 x area of base x height. (Students would be shown in the instruction
how to find volume).
o rather than giving students the formula for volume, make students look up the
formula in a textbook or other reference.

Landaus Lessons
 Name: __________________________
Date: __________________________
Class: _________________________

Volume (in and cm)

Which of the objects do you think can hold the greatest volume? __________

Measure the length width and height of each object and calculate the
volume in inches. Then, do it again in centimeters.

Name of Objects Length Width Height VOLUME

in in in

cm cm cm

in in in

cm cm cm

in in in

cm cm cm

in in in

cm cm cm

in in in

cm cm cm

Which of the objects do has the greatest volume? __________

Were you correct? Explain.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Landaus Lessons
 Name: __________________________
Date: __________________________
Class: _________________________
Volume (cm)

Which of the objects do you think can hold the greatest volume? __________

Measure the length width and height of each object and calculate the
volume in inches. Then, do it again in centimeters.

Name of Objects Length Width Height VOLUME

cm cm cm

cm cm cm

cm cm cm

cm cm cm

cm cm cm

Which of the objects do has the greatest volume? __________

Were you correct? Explain.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Landaus Lessons
 Name: __________________________
Date: __________________________
Class: _________________________
Volume (in)

Which of the objects do you think can hold the greatest volume? __________

Measure the length width and height of each object and calculate the
volume in inches. Then, do it again in centimeters.

Name of Objects Length Width Height VOLUME

in in in

in in in

in in in

in in in

in in in

Which of the objects do has the greatest volume? __________

Were you correct? Explain.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Landaus Lessons