Volume and Surface Area City

Learning Objective(s)

• SWBAT design and build a 3D city using shapes provided in the Cricut Design Space.
• SWBAT calculate the volume of a 3D shape.
• SWBAT calculate the surface area of a 3D shape.

Instructions

Lesson Outline

Day 1: Introduction to 3D Shapes and Planning

Introduction (10-15 mins)

• Discuss the concept of 3D shapes (cubes, rectangular prisms, cylinders, cones, spheres).
  
  
• Show examples of buildings that use various shapes. 

Mini City Design (30 mins)

• Instruct students to sketch their mini city on page 2 of their packet.
  
  
• Remind them to include a minimum of 5 buildings, utilizing a mix of the 3D shapes discussed.

Group Discussion (10-15 mins)

• Share designs with a partner and provide feedback.
• Encourage students to think about how their buildings might look in real life.

Day 2: Preparing for Construction

Choosing Shapes (15 mins)

• Model how to search for images in Cricut Design Space.
  
  
• Guide students in selecting the 3D shapes they will use from the Cricut Design Space images.

Cricut Design Space (30 mins)

• Demonstrate how to add shapes to their workspace.
  
  
• Allow students to explore the software and prepare their designs.

Cutting Shapes (15 mins)

• Supervise as students send their designs to the Cricut machine for cutting.
• Help students remove their shapes from the cutting mat.

Day 3: Building and Designing the City

Assembly (30 mins)

• Distribute cut shapes and construction paper.
  
  
• Instruct students to assemble their buildings, adding windows and doors creatively.

Calculating Surface Area and Volume (30 mins)

• Guide students through the calculations using the formulas for surface area and volume. 
  
  
• Have students fill in the tables on pages 3 and 4, showing their work on pages 5-6.

Day 4: Finalizing and Presenting the Mini City

Total Calculations (20 mins)

• Instruct students to calculate the total surface area using the appropriate formula for each shape.
  
  
• Instruct students to calculate the volume using the appropriate formula for each shape.
  
  
• Instruct students to calculate the total surface area and volume of their entire mini city and record it.

Presentations (20-40 min) *OPTIONAL

• Allow students to prepare a short presentation of their mini city, explaining their design choices and calculations.
• Students present their mini cities to the class, highlighting creativity, math skills, and what they learned throughout the process.