Course Guide - USAID Teacher Education Project

c) Have students work with boxes and cans to explore the surface area of cuboids andcylinders.d) Have students develop multiple formulas to express equally valid ways ofcalculating surface area.4. Class Activitiesa) Begin by reminding students of how they explored the area of polygons andcircles, developing methods for direct measurement and mathematical formulas.Mention how they learned that even irregular figures have a perimeter and area.Point out several examples in the classroom that have multiple surfaces and thusseveral areas that would need to be added to calculate surface area, e.g., four wallsthat need to be painted.b) Display a cardboard box and discuss that it has three dimensions, not only lengthand width but also height. Create a net by cutting apart the box. Ask students todiscuss how an object they originally perceived as 3-dimensional now has only 2dimensions. Ask how they might find the area of the cardboard.c) Divide students into groups of four, half the groups will work with a box, the otherhalf with a cylinder. Have them use various measurement tools (ruler, tape measure)to discover the surface area of their object.Ask them to find a generalized formula for their experiment.d) Have students share their experiences and their formulas. If students deviseseveral valid formulas, show how these are equivalent. (If students have not come upwith various formulas, introduce at least one other.) Ask if some formulas are moreefficient than others.5. Assignments (to be determined by instructor)Faculty NotesUnit 3 GeometryWeek 5: Geometric Measurement: Volume, Square Roots (Surds), and RightTrianglesWeeklong Overview:Session 1: Introduction to the volume of cuboids and cylindersSession 2: Introduction to square rootSession 3: Introduction to the Pythagorean TheoremFaculty Preparation for Upcoming Class (1-2 hours)Look through the following websites: