When you're teaching surface area and volume, it's a great time to break out the hands on activities and projects! It seems like each time I teach surface area and volume I add a new activity, demonstration, or project. Here are some awesome ideas for your next surface area and volume unit!
Ideas for Teaching Surface Area and Volume
Digital Escape Room - Have you tried digital escape rooms yet? You will LOVE them! No paper, locks, or anything else to keep track of. Students complete their work online and send their completion certificate to you. This Volume of Solids Digital Escape Room sends your students on adventure in space.
3D Pyramid from an Envelope - This is a GREAT hands on activity for students to see all the parts of a pyramid. I love making the pyramid before I teach the lesson, so that students have their own pyramid to refer to while I'm teaching the lesson. It only takes an envelope!
Sum 'Em Activities - I LOVE sum 'em activities. Students work in pairs or small groups to find a group sum for their problems. It seems so simple, but it's so effective at getting misconceptions out of the way.
Chocolate Bar Math Project - This project is intended for middle schoolers, but I think it could easily be added to for high schoolers too. Students are given dimensions of parts of the chocolate bar (or you could have them measure a candy bar) and then they determine the height. You can easily change parts to have them determine the surface area needed for a certain volume.
Stations - Stations are a great way to get students moving around and discussing math. I really like using stations when my kids have been quiet for a few days or I can tell they seem a bit checked out (like before a school holiday!). Stations mazes are a fun twist on regular stations, because students have to pay attention very closely to their answers.
Task Cards - I love task cards! They are so versatile, that you really can't go wrong with having some for every topic you teach. If you'd like some ideas, you can check out 7 Ideas for Using Task Cards and 5 More Ideas for Using Task Cards. Task cards are great for review days, but they are also awesome for that extra 5 minutes at the end of class when you want to fill it with extra learning time.
Surface Area of Right Prisms on Geogebra - This free GeoGebra lesson is an illustration of Cavalieri's principle and also has a homework assignment.
Cut and Paste Activities - Even my high school students like to get out the scissors and glue sometimes! My favorite way to use cut and paste activities is to have students work on an activity after the lesson. It gives students a chance to practice with a limited number of answer choices before attempting their homework. Cut and paste activities help build confidence.
3 Act Task - Soda Box Design - If you haven't heard of 3 Act Math Tasks, they are a great way to teach students directly from real life applications. While I don't want to use them everyday, they are a great option to use occasionally. This 3 Act Task has students look at the design of a soda box design and determine the most efficient measurements.
Surface Area Tin Man Project - This project from misscalcul8 is so cute! Students make a robot with tin foil. They have to use surface area to see how much foil they need to completely cover their robot.
Foldables - Oh, I really do like teaching with foldables. I've found that it's the most organized, structured way of teaching a lesson with my students. These foldables are a great way for students to organize their notes.
How much does the aluminum foil prank cost? - This is another fun 3 Act Math Task. Have you seen the office cubicles that are entirely covered in foil? This math task has students figure out the cost of the prank. How fun is this?!
I hope one of these ideas helps you enrich your surface area and volume unit!
