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Assessment
CCSS Math Activities

Building Blocks

For Students 5th - 6th Standards
Math is a lot like building blocks—it requires a solid foundation. A short performance task has pupils consider the volume of a cubic block. It then asks mathematicians to find the surface area and volume of a prism made from stacking...
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Activity
Serendip

Diffusion and Cell Size and Shape

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Is your class ready to size up the topic of diffusion? Help them get cell shape savvy with a well-written handout. The resource covers how substances such as oxygen passively move through the cell membrane and how cell size and shape...
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Activity
101 Questions

Sticky Stickies

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Don't let your classes get stuck on area calculations—grab their attention with an inquiry-based lesson! Scholars must develop a plan to determine how may sticky notes it takes to cover the surface of a door. They decide on the...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Atomic Bonding

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...
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Activity
101 Questions

Coin Carpet

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Here's a new meaning to the expression throwing away money...a carpet of coins! An intriguing lesson requires calculations to determine the coin that would be the cheapest option, but it's a little tricky. The cost of the coin changes,...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Boxed In and Wrapped Up

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
If cubes have the smallest surface area, why aren't there more cube-shaped packages? Scholars take a box in the shape of a rectangular prism, cut it up, and make new boxes in the shape of cubes with the same volume. They then brainstorm...
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Activity
101 Questions

Dandy Candies

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Package design is an economic necessity. Young scholars assume the role in an interesting inquiry-based lesson. Given 24 cubic shaped candies to package, they must determine the arrangement that uses the least amount of cardboard to...
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Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Lab 2: Nanocatalysts Clean Your Car Emissions

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Surface area certainly surfaces as a variable for chemical reaction rates. Scholars perform an experiment to discover how the size of catalysts affect the rate of a chemical reaction. They record their results in tables and graphs to...
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Activity
101 Questions

Toilet Paper Roll

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You won't want to flush a great lesson down the drain! An intriguing resource asks learners to predict the number of sheets of toilet paper on a roll. Presented with the dimensions of the roll and one sheet of paper, scholars make...
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Lesson Plan
Nuffield Foundation

Effect of Size on Uptake by Diffusion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Cell size is limited by the surface area to volume ratio, but why is this true? Scholars measure the surface area and volume of cubes before placing them into liquid. After a set amount of time, they measure the uptake by diffusion for...
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Activity
101 Questions

File Cabinet

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Take the resource out of the file cabinet. Young mathematicians estimate the number of sticky notes it would take to cover the surface area of a file cabinet. They answer a set of questions on how the number of sticky notes would change...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Pipe Maze

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Here's a lesson that is simply a-MAZE-ing! Introduce science scholars to pipeline systems through a hands-on project. Partnered pupils participate in the design, construct, and test a PVC pipeline maze. Reusable materials and clear...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Design a Dome

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Do domed structures have advantages over their less-than-spherical counterparts? Junior architects explore the pros and cons of domes through a design challenge. Teams work together to plan, sketch, build, and test domes created from an...
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Unit Plan
Beyond Benign

Water Bottle Unit

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How much plastic do manufacturers use to create water bottles each year? The class explores the number of water bottles used throughout the years to determine how many consumers will use in the future. Class members compare different...
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Unit Plan
Big Learning

The Antarctica Project: A Middle School Mathematics Unit

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Antarctica is a big place, large enough to provide ample opportunities to learn about math. A two-week unit teaches middle school mathematics concepts using project-based learning. The resource covers functions, geometry (area,...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Out of the Box

For Teachers 6th Standards
There's no need to think outside the box for this one! Scholars measure the length, width, and height of various boxes. Results help develop the formulas for the surface area and volume of rectangular prisms.
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Surface Area of a Rectangular Prism

For Teachers 7th Standards
Wrap up a lesson on surface area with a resource that asks scholars to use the idea of wrapping paper to investigate surface area. They draw representations of rectangular prisms on graph paper to find the areas of the respective...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Surface Area and Volume of a Cylinder

For Teachers 7th Standards
Surface area or volume? Pupils first review the difference between surface area and volume. They then use a two-dimensional net that helps them develop formulas for the surface area and volume of cylinders.
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Assessment
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California Education Partners

Yum Yum Cereal

For Students 7th Standards
Design an efficient cereal box. Scholars use set volume criteria to design a cereal box by applying their knowledge of surface area to determine the cost to create the box. They then determine whether their designs will fit on shelves,...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Scaling Down: Effects of Size on Behavior

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Two activities explore the concept of size, especially small sizes down to the nano. Scholars practice determining volume, mass, and density and calculate exponential increases and decreases. They then predict and test the effect of size...
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Assessment
EngageNY

End-of-Module Assessment Task: Grade 7 Mathematics Module 6

For Students 7th Standards
Determine the level of understanding within your classes using a summative assessment. As the final lesson in a 29-part module, the goal is to assess the topics addressed during the unit. Concepts range from linear angle relationships,...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Scale Model Project

For Students 8th - 10th Standards
Try your hand at scale models. Scholars create a scale model of an object using a scale factor of their choice. As part of the project, they give presentations on their processes and calculations. This is the last installment of the...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Surface Area and Volume

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Partners use materials to wrap three-dimensional objects to determine the formula for surface area. The groups use an orange to calculate the amount of peel it takes to completely cover the fruit. Using manipulatives, individuals then...
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Unit Plan
Illinois Valley Community College

STEM Activities for Middle School Students

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...