Decompose figures to find volume

The  exercise appears under the 5th grade (U.S.) Math Mission. This exercise develops an understanding of the addition postulate for volume by breaking a complicated shape into unit blocks.

Types of Problems
There is one type of problem in this exercise:


 * 1) Find the volume of the figure: This problem has a figure constructed out of unit blocks. The student is asked to find the volume by counting the blocks and then write the correct answer in the space provided.Dftfv1.png

Strategies
Knowledge of the volume formula is encouraged to ensure success on this exercise, but only an ability to count and visualize missing information is required.
 * 1) Blocks that are not visible can be assumed, so the figures do not break laws of gravity.
 * 2) To increase efficiency, sometimes the figure can be broken into several rectangular prisms, each of which can be found more quickly.
 * 3) The numerical answers do not go into triple digit numbers so they can be counted efficiently.

Real-life Applications

 * 1) Slicing a figure to find it's volume motivates the volume formula that arises in Geometry.
 * 2) Breaking into blocks allows one to realize that volume has additive properties that are useful for applications such as building and cooking.