[griffsmom]

Do any of you super teachers have a fun lesson for volume or capacity??? I have a couple but want to add some new ideas to mine.

[Angie]

google gallon man.. or you might search the archives here. I found a lesson where we created gallon man.

[griffsmom]

I know about gallon people...I also do gallon butterfly...I want more options.
Thanks

[Rach]

I would like some more information about the gallon butterfly. I've always done gallon guy/gal. The butterfly might be something new to do.

Last year, I had 2 centers that the kids liked (both are described in Van de Walle's Elementary & Middle School Mathematics).


1)Capacity Sort:
You have a target container, such as a hot cocoa tin, and students are to sort other containers based on whether they hold more than the target, less, or about the same. First, they predict for each container whether it will hold more, less or the same. Then they determine which will actually hold more/less/the same by using a filler like beans or rice and a scoop. I used an answer sheet with a picture of each container being judged, with the words underneath that said "holds more," "holds less" and "holds about the same" with the instructions to circle one. I used the same answer sheet for the round of predictins and the round of testing; they circled "what we guessed" or "what we found" to indicate which was which.

2)Capacity Lineup
Give students a series of 5 to 6 containers of various sizes and they need to order the containers from least volume to greatest. They can again use a filler and a scoop to help solve the problem but they should work in a group to figure out how to use the materials to solve the problem. At the end I had them record the order of the shapes from least to greatest.

I hope these help! : )