Students build rectangular prisms and discover that volume — the space inside — is found by filling the box with unit cubes: length × width × height.
Students will be able to…
Area measures a flat surface, but a box holds space inside. How do you measure how much a 3-D box can hold?
Project this and change the length, width, and height. Watch the box grow and see how the volume — the number of unit cubes inside — changes.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
How many little cubes fill this box?
Teacher models volume.
Class drives the Box Builder.
Students find volume.
Find one last volume.
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, including the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
Measure volumes by counting unit cubes.
Relate volume to multiplication and addition; apply V = l × w × h.
Model with mathematics using unit cubes and the volume formula.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Give students a fixed number of unit cubes and challenge them to build different rectangular prisms with that volume, recording the dimensions of each. A printable volume-building sheet is in the Math library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.