MathematicsMeasurementAges 9–13

What volume means

Recognise volume as an attribute of solid figures; understand that a unit cube (side length 1 unit) has 'one cubic unit' of volume and can be used to measure volume; a solid packed with n unit cubes has volume n cubic units

Lesson

Set out your lesson

Count unit cubes in all layers, including hidden cubes.

Before teaching

Use this short check, then start teaching.

Activity

Inferred, not a taxonomy edge: learner can access the supplied prompt with agreed support and can explain or mark a response. If earlier skills are unfamiliar, use the prerequisite topic for teaching; an authored prerequisite is not proof this learner is ready.

Printer, credit, and teaching notes

Sequence

Keep the two adult-only cards off the learner screen. Have a pencil and scrap paper if useful; oral pointing/typing/AAC can replace handwriting unless spelling or composition is the target. No printing, cutting, account or purchase is required.
Open Show first, read the explanation together, and pause to check the central idea. Then do Guided Try together.
For Try, close earlier models and the adult keys unless the task explicitly supplies a reference. Record any hints, read-aloud help or model reopening; do not call supported work independent.
Use only the active learner card. Keep the private key closed until an attempt is recorded. Stop or take a break on request; practical claims stay not observed unless actually done.

No Printer

Use on screen; read aloud or recreate a tactile model only with declared support. No printer or purchased kit.

Privacy

Never display adult keys or dictation spellings with a learner task; no family financial, identity or conflict disclosure.

Use the complete materials on screen or print only the current sheet. Keep adult guidance out of learner view.

Next: Show

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Teaching approaches

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1 approach

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Count unit cubes in all layers, including hidden cubes.

Family records and proof options

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Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.

View learner plans ($12/mo per learner) See sample family archive

Learning resources

Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.

Illustrative Mathematics · Practice link — not the full lesson

Computing Volume Progression 2

Open practice(new tab)

Before you open · source notes

Volume progression 2 supports what volume means with packed cubes. Not every capacity conversion.

Free, no sign-in. A teacher solution is on the same page, so use the student view with your child.

Before you open

Ask the learner to explain volume as the number of unit cubes that fill a solid.

Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.

Source, access and review notes

Public Illustrative Mathematics task page. The .html address responds HTTP 308 to this URL. An anonymous GET of this URL on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt. Where a teacher solution is present, it is on the same page as the student task; this check did not find a separate locked student view. An adult can use the student view section and should not read a solution aloud. Advertising was not observed in the fetched HTML text; that is not a browser, device, or ad-free guarantee. This is a paper or discussion task, not an automatically marked interactive game. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. Diagrams on the page use missing or filename-only alt text, so they are not an accessible image equivalent. Accessibility still depends on an adult describing the picture.

Illustrative Mathematics. “Computing Volume Progression 2.” Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. External task; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute it.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — link only

Check understanding

Explain what 'volume' means for a 3D shape and how it differs from area
Identify a unit cube and explain that it represents one cubic unit of volume
Determine the volume of a small solid by counting the unit cubes that fill it

“If your child builds a solid shape using small cubes, can they count the cubes to find the volume — and explain what "one cubic centimetre" means in everyday terms?”

Curriculum record

Type: Conceptual
Subject: Mathematics
Domain: Measurement
Age range: Ages 9–13

Standards

ccss-math:5.MD.3ccss-math:5.MD.3.accss-math:5.MD.3.bthe-ontario-curriculum-mathematics-2020:ON-MATH-2020-G7-E2.1uk-nc-2013:Ma5/3.1e