STEM Designing a Box Using Volume Challenge
- Zip
What educators are saying
Description
If you are ready for a highly engaging STEM activity, this Designing Boxes Challenge is for you! Students will investigate volume and learn to calculate surface area in preparation for design a cereal box.
What is the challenge?
- Students will use cereal boxes and have great discussions about the appearance of the boxes, as well as how much a box contains.
- They will learn about volume and surface area through weighing and measurement tasks.
- Finally, they will take all the things they have learned and design a box.
- Each box begins with the same size poster board, but which box will end up having the greatest volume? Can the students apply what they have learned?
NOTE: This resource includes two versions of the activity. Version 1 will take 3-4 class sessions. Version 2 is a quicker challenge and will take 2 class sessions.
VERSION 1:
Specifics of this version:
- Students brainstorm about cereal boxes and learn about special symbols found on products.
- They will investigate volume by using a filler material to test the different amounts a box can hold. The Math that takes place is so much fun!
- Students will measure and calculate the volume and surface area of their boxes.
- Students will be given a piece of poster board and challenged to apply what they have learned about creating the largest volume.
NOTE: The entire experience will take 3-4 class sessions to complete.
What is Your Prep for Version 1?
- You will need supplies in addition to this package. empty cereal boxes - in a variety of sizes, Poster board- cut in half, masking tape, rulers, scissors, clear tape, glue sticks, Art supplies for drawing and coloring, Packing peanuts, Digital scale, and Calculators.
Version 2:
Specifics of this version:
- This version uses the same great idea of creating a new type of cereal and designing the packaging.
- The background information and the experiments about volume are not part of version 2.
- Instead, students get busy designing the cereal boxes quickly and they can finish this in two sessions.
What is Your Prep for Version 2?
- Materials for version 2 include poster board, masking tape, rulers, glue sticks, and scrap paper.
This resource specifically contains:
- Cover sheet
- Table of Contents
- Overview and Materials page
- Version 1 - 9 pages of step-by-step procedures and helpful hints for each step of the design process and lessons
- 3 pages of photos
- 2 Reading Selections
- 3-page Lab Sheet set
- Constraints of the Task Sheet
- Things to Do While Working in Groups sheet
- 3-page scoring rubric
- Version 2 - 3-page teacher's guide
- Criteria page
- Lab Sheet
- Scoring Rubric
- Photos
- Forms are editable
No matter which version or combination of the two versions you choose, your students will love creating a new cereal and designing the packaging!
*****************************************************************************
You might also like these STEM Activity sets:
*****************************************************************************
Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies, and product launches:
Click here to follow my store. Itโs that easy to receive email updates about Teachers Are Terrific!
Keep in Touch!
Thank you so much,
Teachers Really are Terrific!
