Before You Read

Key Words

volume — the amount of space inside a 3-D shape. Measured in cubic units.

rectangular prism — a box shape with 6 flat rectangle faces.

length, width, height — the three dimensions of a box (l, w, h).

cubic units — units for volume, like cubic feet (ft³) — unit cubes that fill the box.

formula — the rule: Volume = length × width × height (V = l × w × h).

dimension — one measurement (a length) of the box.

Part 1 — How Much Fits? (Volume)

Sam picked up a box that was 3 ft long, 2 ft wide, and 4 ft tall. "How much can it hold?" He found the volume by multiplying the three dimensions.

V = l × w × h = 3 × 2 × 4 = 24 cubic feet.

Check Your Reading — Q1

How do you find the volume of a box?

Solve It — #1

Find the volume of a box that is 5 × 2 × 3 feet.

Volume (cubic feet):

Part 2 — Counting Unit Cubes

Sam imagined filling a small box with 1-foot cubes. A box 4 × 3 × 2 holds layers of cubes. Volume counts how many unit cubes fit inside.

V = 4 × 3 × 2 = 24 unit cubes (24 cubic feet).

Check Your Reading — Q2

What does volume in "cubic units" really count?

Solve It — #2

How many unit cubes fill a 4 × 3 × 3 box?

Cubes:

Part 3 — A Long, Flat Box

One box for posters was long and flat: 6 ft long, 1 ft wide, 2 ft tall. The formula still works, even when one dimension is small.

V = 6 × 1 × 2 = 12 cubic feet.

Solve It — #3

Find the volume of a 7 × 1 × 2 box.

Volume (cubic feet):

Part 4 — A Big Cube

The last box was a cube — all sides 3 ft. For a cube, length, width, and height are equal.

V = 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.

Solve It — #4

Find the volume of a cube with sides of 4 ft.

Volume (cubic feet):

After You Read — Write About It

Explain the Math in the Story

Level 1 — Beginner (finish each sentence):

To find volume, I multiply ______ × ______ × ______.
Volume is measured in ______ units.
A cube has all sides ______.

Level 2 — Intermediate (use these to start):

Volume helped Sam because ______.
Volume is different from area because ______.
I could use volume in real life when I ______.

Write your answer here:

How You Are Scored

Rubric

Category	4 — Strong	3 — Proficient	2 — Developing
Reading comprehension	Both reading questions correct with details	1 correct	Attempts an answer
Math (Solve It)	All 4 volume answers correct (V = l × w × h)	3 correct	2 correct
Writing	Explains volume using vocabulary (cubic units, dimension, formula)	Uses some vocabulary	Begins with a starter