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features. Write students' answers on the board. Then, define pyramids and
prisms. Hold up an example of a prism and a pyramid for the class.
Encourage students to organize the shapes again based on this information.
Discuss and explain the cylinder, sphere, and cone as exceptions.
Work with students to create a table like this one to record their observations:
Show students a cardboard box. Ask if the box is a prism or a pyramid.
(Prism.) Have a student volunteer identify the box's bases, faces, edges, and
vertices. Have another student do the same for an oatmeal container. You may
need to cut the container to make identification easier.
This would be a good time for your students to make constructions of the
various models. You can construct models using toothpicks and gum drops,
straws and yarn, or even pipe cleaners. As you go through formulas, encourage
students to refer to their models to visualize why the formulas work.
Introducing Volume
Volume, or the capacity of an object, is sometimes confused with surface
area. At first glance, the formulas for finding each appear somewhat similar. A
helpful way to compare the two is to explain surface area is the amount of
Number of
Bases
Shape of
Base(s)
Number of
Faces
Number of
Edges
Number of
Vertices
Square Prism
Rectangular Prism
Hexagonal Prism
Triangular Prism
Square Pyramid
Triangular Pyramid
Sphere
Hemisphere
Cylinder
Cone
4
Geometric
Shape