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Year 5

Explain how to calculate the volume of compound shapes

I can explain how to calculate the volume of compound shapes.

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New
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Year 5

Explain how to calculate the volume of compound shapes

I can explain how to calculate the volume of compound shapes.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Compound shapes can be split into cubes and cuboids in different ways.
  2. Compound shapes can be split in different ways but the volume stays the same.

Keywords

  • Compound shape - A compound shape is a shape created with two or more basic shapes.

  • Strategy - A strategy is a planned approach used to solve a problem.

Common misconception

Pupils may default to trying to use the same strategy for every shape, for example, the 'partition and add' can be applied to most shapes although it might not be the most efficient.

Spend time exploring each strategy with basic dimensions for compound shapes at first. Explore different strategies for the same shape and encourage children to reason which strategy might be most efficient to use.

Making and breaking compound shapes with cubes will support pupils to visualise what parts of a compound shape can be manipulated. Pupils should spend time doing this with concrete objects and also spend time thinking how this can be represented in two dimensions.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these are the correct properties of a cuboid?
8 vertices, 8 faces, 8 edges
12 vertices, 8 faces, 8 edges
Correct answer: 12 edges, 6 faces, 8 vertices
12 vertices, 6 faces, 12 edges
Q2.
Which of these is the correct way to calculate the volume of a cuboid?
Correct answer: Multiply the height, length and width measurements together.
Multiply the height and width measurements and add the length.
Multiply the height and width measurements and divide by the length.
Add the height, length and width measurements together.
Q3.
What is the volume of this cuboid? cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 110
Q4.
What is the volume of this cuboid? cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 320
Q5.
What is the volume of this cuboid? cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 52
Q6.
What is the difference in volume between cuboid A and cuboid B? cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 4

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the name given to a shape made by combining two or more basic shapes?
rectangle
Correct answer: compound shape
cube
cuboid
Q2.
Use the complete and subtract strategy to find the volume of this shape. cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 47
Q3.
Jacob partitioned the compound shape into two cuboids. What is the volume of the smaller cuboid? cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 30, thirty
Q4.
Use an efficient strategy to calculate the volume of this compound shape. cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 352
Q5.
Use an efficient strategy to calculate the volume of this compound shape. cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 340
Q6.
Use an efficient strategy to calculate the volume of this compound shape. cm$$^3$$
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 664