The Birds
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of this Warm-up is to elicit the idea that the shape of a birdhouse can be modeled by a rectangular prism, which will be useful when students solve problems about the volumes of birdhouses in a later activity. While students may notice and wonder many things about the photograph, the shape of the birdhouse 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:
- There are two birds and only one house.
- The house is tilted.
- One of the birds is flying.
Students may wonder:
- Is there a nest inside the house?
- Who built the house?
- Do both birds live in the house?
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “How would you describe the shape of the birdhouse?” (It looks like the sides are rectangles. It could be a rectangular prism.)
Standards
- 5.MD.3·Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
- 5.MD.C.3·Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
15 min
20 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
The Birds
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of this Warm-up is to elicit the idea that the shape of a birdhouse can be modeled by a rectangular prism, which will be useful when students solve problems about the volumes of birdhouses in a later activity. While students may notice and wonder many things about the photograph, the shape of the birdhouse 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:
- There are two birds and only one house.
- The house is tilted.
- One of the birds is flying.
Students may wonder:
- Is there a nest inside the house?
- Who built the house?
- Do both birds live in the house?
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “How would you describe the shape of the birdhouse?” (It looks like the sides are rectangles. It could be a rectangular prism.)
Standards
- 5.MD.3·Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.
- 5.MD.C.3·Recognize volume as an attribute of solid figures and understand concepts of volume measurement.