Skip to content
PlayOwl

Mathematics · Grade 7

Surface Area, Volume and Slicing Solids

Learners slice right rectangular prisms and pyramids in their minds and describe the cross-sections, then use the idea that every slice of a prism parallel to its base is the same to justify V = Bh for rectangular, triangular and composite prisms. They find surface areas from faces and nets, and finish by deciding whether a real problem is about filling (volume) or covering (surface area), including missing dimensions and rounding up when buying materials.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 95 minutes
  • Slicing, volume and surface area check: 11 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, type a fraction, match pairs, type a number, sort into groups and true or false
See plans Included with Family, Teacher and School plans. Open in PlayOwl

What learners will discover

  • Describe the two-dimensional cross-sections made by slicing right rectangular prisms and right rectangular pyramids, and find their areas.
  • Find the volume of right rectangular, triangular and composite prisms with V = Bh, including fractional dimensions.
  • Find the surface area of right rectangular and triangular prisms and of simple composite solids from their faces or nets.
  • Solve real-world problems by deciding whether volume or surface area is needed, finding missing dimensions and interpreting the answer in context.

Lessons

  1. Slicing prisms and pyramids 9 steps5 practiceabout 22 min
  2. Volume of right prisms 9 steps5 practiceabout 25 min
  3. Surface area of prisms 9 steps5 practiceabout 23 min
  4. Fill it or cover it? Real-world problems 8 steps5 practiceabout 25 min
  5. Slicing, volume and surface area check 11 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

  • Number-Line HopHelp the frog hop to the right number — from counting to negative fractions.
  • Ratio KitchenScale recipes, fill ratio tables and find the better buy.
  • Coordinate CourierDrive the parcel van to the right address on the coordinate grid.

More 7th grade math

Guide for grown-ups