NAME ______________________________ DATE _______________

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About the Mathematics in This Unit

Dear Family,

Our class is starting a new mathematics unit about geometry and measurement called Prisms and Solids. During this unit, students study volume—the amount of space a 3-D object occupies. They use paper boxes and cubes to develop a strategy for finding the volume of any rectangular prism. Students also find the volume of solids composed of rectangular prisms. They also learn to apply the formulas for volume (V = l × w × h and V = b × h) to find volume. Throughout the unit, students work toward these goals:

Benchmarks/Goals	Examples
Find the volume of rectangular prisms, including the use of volume formulas.	The prism is 5 units by 2 units by 3 units. What is the volume? V = l × w × h V = 5 × 2 × 3 = 10 × 3 = 30 The volume is 30 cubic units.
Find the volume of a solid composed of two rectangular prisms.	Top prism: base = 2 × 2 = 4 height = 4 volume = 16 cubic units Bottom prism: base = 2 × 4 = 8 height = 2 volume = 16 cubic units d Volume of solid is 32 cubic units.

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