5th grade · Math · Unit 14 of 14
Volume of Boxes
Cubes, layers and l × w × h
What your child practices
Finding volume by counting unit cubes and layers, using V = l × w × h, finding a missing side, and adding the volumes of two boxes.
Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 5.MD.C.3; 5.MD.C.4; 5.MD.C.5 · understanding volume, measuring it with unit cubes, and relating it to multiplication and addition
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Volume counts the unit cubes that fill a solid.
- For a box, V = length × width × height.
- For two boxes stuck together, add their volumes.
Example: A box is 4 in long, 3 in wide and 2 in high. What is its volume? 4 × 3 = 12 cubes in one layer. 2 layers: 12 × 2 = 24. Answer: 24 cubic inches
Volume of Boxes in Arizona
In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 14 of 14 in 5th grade Math, after Unlike Denominators.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Source: Arizona Department of Education
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
A box is 9 cm long, 7 cm wide and 7 cm high. What is its volume?
- 350 cubic centimeters
- 441 cubic centimeters
- 23 cubic centimeters
- 63 cubic centimeters
- 442 cubic centimeters
441 cubic centimeters
Hint: Volume = length × width × height = 9 × 7 × 7.
Question 2
A box is 4 cubes long, 3 cubes wide and 3 cubes high. How many unit cubes fill it?
- 10
- 36
- 48
- 12
36
Hint: One layer has 4 × 3 = 12 cubes. There are 3 layers.
Question 3
A shape is made of two boxes: 6 × 4 × 2 and 3 × 4 × 3 (in cm). What is its total volume?
- 12 cm³
- 1728 cm³
- 84 cm³
- 94 cm³
- 81 cm³
84 cm³
Hint: Find each volume: 48 and 36. Then add.
Question 4
Each layer of a box holds 8 unit cubes. There are 3 layers. How many cubes fill the box?
- 11
- 32
- 27
- 22
- 24
24
Hint: 3 layers × 8 cubes.
Question 5
A box has a volume of 32 cubic feet. It is 2 ft long and 4 ft wide. How high is it?
- 5 ft
- 8 ft
- 7 ft
- 4 ft
- 26 ft
4 ft
Hint: Base area = 2 × 4 = 8. Then 32 ÷ 8.
Question 6
Which unit tells how much space is inside a fish tank?
- cubic inches
- pounds
- square inches
- inches
cubic inches
Hint: Volume counts cubes, so its units are cubic.