Checking and securing understanding of surface area of other prisms
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can efficiently calculate the surface area of other prisms.
Key learning points
- The surface area of a prism is the sum of the area of all the faces.
- The net of a prism can help find the surface area of a prism but can be time consuming.
- Using known area facts the area of all the faces can be found and summed.
- It is important to find the surface area systematically and efficiently.
Keywords
Prism - A prism is a polyhedron with a base that is a polygon and a parallel opposite face that is identical. The corresponding edges of the two polygons are joined by parallelograms.
Surface area - The surface area is the total area of all the surfaces of a closed 3D shape. The surfaces include all faces and any curved surfaces.
Net - The net of a 3D object is a 2D representation of its surfaces that can be folded up into the 3D object.
Common misconception
Pupils can miss out some faces of the prism when calculating the surface area.
Encourage pupils to sketch out the net of the prism and label it clearly, to ensure that they include all faces in their calculation of the surface area. This will allow their answer to be checked more easily.
Teacher tip
Several different nets of prisms are included in the examples. If a pupil is not convinced that the given net will fold into a prism, get them to check that the number and shape of the faces is as expected, and suggest that they highlight or label the edges that will join up when the net is folded.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Select the units that could be used for the surface area of a cuboid.
Q2.Here is a net of a cube. Which calculations correctly give the surface area of the cube?
Q3.Here is a net of a cuboid. What is the surface area of the cuboid?
Q4.The diagram shows the plan view and front and side elevations of a cuboid. The surface area of the cuboid is m².
Q5.The diagram shows an isometric drawing of a cuboid. The surface area of the cuboid is m².
Q6.Starting with the cuboid with the smallest surface area, put these cuboids in order of surface area size.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.This prism has two congruent regular pentagonal faces and congruent rectangular faces.
Q2.Jun takes some measurements from a cube. Match each measurement to its correct value.
Q3.The surface area of this octagonal prism is cm².
Q4.The diagram shows a prism unfolded into its net. The perimeter of the cross-sectional face is 80 cm. Which of these statements are correct?
Q5.The diagram shows the net of a triangular prism. The depth of the prism is 2 cm. The surface area of the prism that can be formed from this net is cm².
Q6.The cross-section of this prism is an equilateral triangle. The surface area of this triangular prism is cm². Give your answer correct to 3 significant figures.
To help you plan your 11 maths lesson on: Checking and securing understanding of surface area of other prisms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 maths lesson on: Checking and securing understanding of surface area of other prisms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 maths lessons from the 2D and 3D shape: surface area and volume (pyramids, spheres and cones) unit, dive into the full secondary maths curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.