Area and Volume

We have been exploring the topic of measurement with a focus on volume and surface area.

In grade 8 we need to work with right prisms.  A right prism is defined as:

A right prism is a solid (or 3D) object with two parallel bases that are the same shape and several rectangular faces depending upon the shape of the bases. They are called right prisms because where the bases and rectangular faces meet are perpendicular lines that meet at a 90 degree or right angle.


We started by reviewing some key grade 7 concepts.  The area of triangles and circles.  These are formulas and ideas that you will need to refer to a lot in grade 8 here's a picture of our conversation.



Today we talked about the relationship between area and volume in right prisms.

In order to find the volume of right prisms we need to:

- Find the area of the base (using whatever formula matches the shape, e.g.  The area of a circle for cylinders)
- Take that area and multiply it by height to find the volume. 

This strategy works for ANY right prism.  The area tells us how many cubes would cover the base, and the height tells us how many groups of that exact area would be stacked on top of each other.

We will continue to explore and practice finding the volume and surface area of right prisms. 

Learning Intentions:

- I can identify a right prism, and explain how it's different from a non right prism
- I can explain what area and volume are, and what units we use to measure them
- I can explain what surface area is.
- If given a cylinder, right triangular prism, or rectangular prism I can calculate the surface area and the volume using accurate units.