Estimating the room

Estimating the room

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This practical task requires you to construct a one metre newspaper roll, use it to estimate the dimensions of a room, then calculate the volume of that room.

 

Using sheets of newspaper, roll the paper up to make a 1 metre length and secure with tape.

 

You will need to make the roll quite thick and strong.

 
 
a)
Your task is to estimate the volume of a room in your school in cubic metres, using the one metre roll of newspaper you have made. 
 
 
My estimate of the:
 
 
i)
 
ii)
 
iii)
 
width of the room is ____________ m
 
length of the room is ____________ m
 
height of the room is ____________ m
 
 
b)
 
Using your estimates above, calculate the volume of the room, in cubic metres. Show your working in the box below.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
My estimate of the volume of the room is ____________ m3

 

Task administration: 
Equipment 
Newspapers; metre ruler; tape; scissors.
  • Prior to starting this activity, measure the volume (m3) of the room the students will be estimating.
  • You may need to demonstrate how to roll the newspaper before students begin this activity.
Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Geometry and Measurement, Measurement
Keywords: 
estimation, length, volume
Description of task: 
This practical task requires students to construct a one metre newspaper roll, use it to estimate the dimensions of a room, then calculate the volume of that room.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can help to identify students' understanding of length and volume for the Measurement objectives and multiplicative strategies for the Number and Algebra objectives.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Measurement sense, sets 6-7
Multiplicative thinking, sets 6-7
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

 

  

1 mark 
1 mark 
1 mark 

 a)

i) 
ii) 
iii) 

Accurate estimate of width to the nearest 1/2 metre.
Accurate estimate of length to the nearest 1/2 metre.
Accurate estimate of height to the nearest 1/2 metre.

2 marks
or
1 mark

 b)  

Accurate calculation of volume, including evidence of calculations using results in a), i.e., a)i) × a)ii) × a)iii).
Attempts to calculate volume but 1 error in calculations.