Estimate the Volume of the World’s Largest Wagon
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of this Warm-up is to elicit the idea that a wagon is shaped like a rectangular prism, which will be useful when students estimate the volume of the wagon in a later activity. While students may notice and wonder many things about this image, the shape of the wagon is the important discussion point.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
- “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Share and record responses.
Student Task
What do you notice? What do you wonder?
Sample Response
Students may notice:
- Its is a giant wagon.
- There are 3 people.
- The wheels are bigger than the people.
- How big is that wagon?
- Is that wagon real or is it made-up?
- Where is the wagon?
- Can the wagon actually move?
- How many people could fit in that wagon?
Synthesis
- “What shapes do you notice in the wagon?" (The wheels are shaped like circles, the body looks like a rectangular prism or box except that the edges are curved a little bit.)
Standards
Building Toward
- 5.MD.5·Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and solve real world and mathematical problems involving volume.
- 5.MD.C.5·Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and solve real world and mathematical problems involving volume.