These twelve self-checking number line riddles focusing on volume of rectangular prisms and irregular figures are a great resource for classwork, centers, or homework. My kids love doing riddles like these (though I think what they love even more is telling me how corny the jokes are). I, of course, love being able to quickly grade an entire stack of papers!

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Common Core State Standards for Mathematics addressed:
Measurement and Data (5.MD)
Geometric measurement: understand concepts of volume and relate volume to multiplication and to addition.
• Measure volumes by counting unit cubes, using cubic cm, cubic in, cubic ft, and improvised units. (5.MD.4)
• Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and solve real world and mathematical problems involving volume. (5.MD.5)
• Apply the formulas V = l x w x h and V=b x h for rectangular prisms to find volumes of right rectangular prisms with whole- number edge lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems. (5.MD.5b)
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Included:
• 12 self-checking puzzles
• answer key for each puzzle

These twelve puzzles were designed to build students’ flexibility with volume. Each sheet features a set of prisms and irregular figures or dimensions for a set of prisms. The students are asked to find the volume of a figure or to use a given volume to find an unknown dimension. Once they do so, they take the letter that represents the unknown measurement and fills in a blank(s) to create words that make up the answer to a joke. Most of the numbers used as dimensions are single-digit numbers, with a few two-digit numbers used; none of the dimensions are larger than 15.

The first four puzzles present prisms and figures that are made up of cubes. Students are able to use counting as a strategy for these figures. The next four puzzles show the outline of rectangular prisms with dimensions labeled. For some of these, student use three given dimensions for find the unknown volume; for others, students use two given dimensions and the given volume to find the unknown dimension. The final four puzzles give descriptions of rectangular prisms, some with an unknown volume and others with one unknown dimension, and students solve using the information given in the descriptions.

There are many ways in which you can use these puzzles pages. Since the puzzles all use different numbers but similar formatting, you might do one or two together, have students work in pairs on another one or two, and do the rest on their own. The riddles can be used as center work, drill, classwork, assessment, or homework. The riddle pages have 8 or 9 prisms or figures to work with, so none of them should take very long to complete, and keys are included for all twelve, so scoring should not take too long either! [Though since these are self-checking, your grading workload should be light ☺]

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Looking for more practice with volume? Check out:

Turn Up the Volume - finding volume with cubes task cards + printables (set a)

Turn Up the Volume - volume of rectangular prisms task cards/printables (set b)

Turn Up the Volume - volume of irregular prisms task cards + printables (set c)

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I hope your students enjoy these resources and are able to build their proficiency with volume.