A Lot of Milk
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of this Estimation Exploration is for students to estimate a volume, based on an image and their own personal experience with cartons of milk. Students recall the meaning of “volume” as the number of cubic centimeters, in this case, it would take to fill the milk carton. Because the carton is relatively small, students can formulate a reasoned, accurate estimate of the milk carton’s volume. They will then use this estimate throughout the lesson.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
- “What is an estimate that’s too high? Too low? About right?”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Record responses.
Student Task
What is the volume of the milk carton, in cubic centimeters?
Record an estimate that is:
| too low | about right | too high |
|---|---|---|
Sample Response
Sample responses:
- Too low: 100 cubic cm to 175 cubic cm
- About right: 200 cubic cm to 250 cubic cm
- Too high: 300 cubic cm or more
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “How can you use what you know about volume to estimate the volume of the milk container?” (I can measure to see how many cubic inches it would take to fill the carton. I can measure the length, the width, and the height and then multiply them.)
- “What units do you usually use to measure liquids?” (liters, quarts, cups)
- “We learned in an earlier unit that cubic centimeters are also units for measuring a volume.”
Standards
- 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.
15 min
20 min
Knowledge Components
All skills for this lesson
No KCs tagged for this lesson
A Lot of Milk
10 min
Narrative
The purpose of this Estimation Exploration is for students to estimate a volume, based on an image and their own personal experience with cartons of milk. Students recall the meaning of “volume” as the number of cubic centimeters, in this case, it would take to fill the milk carton. Because the carton is relatively small, students can formulate a reasoned, accurate estimate of the milk carton’s volume. They will then use this estimate throughout the lesson.
Launch
- Groups of 2
- Display the image.
- “What is an estimate that’s too high? Too low? About right?”
- 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
- “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
- 1 minute: partner discussion
- Record responses.
Student Task
What is the volume of the milk carton, in cubic centimeters?
Record an estimate that is:
| too low | about right | too high |
|---|---|---|
Sample Response
Sample responses:
- Too low: 100 cubic cm to 175 cubic cm
- About right: 200 cubic cm to 250 cubic cm
- Too high: 300 cubic cm or more
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
- “How can you use what you know about volume to estimate the volume of the milk container?” (I can measure to see how many cubic inches it would take to fill the carton. I can measure the length, the width, and the height and then multiply them.)
- “What units do you usually use to measure liquids?” (liters, quarts, cups)
- “We learned in an earlier unit that cubic centimeters are also units for measuring a volume.”
Standards
- 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.