Area and Volume with Angela Cellitti

Use Minecraft to create and solve problems involving area and volume.

Learning Objectives

Students will recognize volume as an attribute of three-dimensional space.
Students will be able to write and interpret numerical expressions.
Students will understand that volume can be measured by finding the total number of same-size units of volume required to fill the space without gaps or overlaps.

• • Students will understand, recognize, and construct 2- and 3-dimensional figures
  • Students will calculate area and volume by counting unit cubes and by using the formulas (A: l*w, V: l*w*h)
  • Students will apply area and volume to real world and mathematical problems
  • Students will apply new learning of area and volume to an irregular shape

Guiding ideas

Introduce the concept of area and volume. Explain to students that volume can be measured by finding the total number of same-size units of volume required to fill the space without gaps or overlaps.

• • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.C.5
    Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.C.6
    Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units).
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.C.7
    Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.3
    Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.3
    Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.4
    Measure volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, and improvised units.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.5.A
    Find the volume of a right rectangular prism with whole-number side lengths by packing it with unit cubes, and show that the volume is the same as would be found by multiplying the edge lengths, equivalently by multiplying the height by the area of the base. Represent threefold whole-number products as volumes, e.g., to represent the associative property of multiplication.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.5.B
    Apply the formulas V = l × w × h and V = b × h for rectangular prisms to find volumes of right rectangular prisms with whole-number edge lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.C.5.C
    Recognize volume as additive. Find volumes of solid figures composed of two non-overlapping right rectangular prisms by adding the volumes of the non-overlapping parts, applying this technique to solve real world problems.

Student activities

 Use the mathematical formulas to solve each of the puzzles.

Performance expectations

By solving the puzzles and creating their own, students will:Demonstrate understanding of volume as an attribute of three-dimensional space.

Be able to write and interpret numerical expressions.

Understand that volume can be measured by finding the total number of same-size units of volume required to fill the space without gaps or overlaps.