SOLs Covered: 7.MG.1 Surface Area & Volume of Rectangular Prisms & Cylinders
Math Topic: 11 Surface Area & Volume
Daily Agenda: February 16-20, 2026
Upcoming Assessments: Unit 7 Surface Area & Volume (Mon. 2/23)
Good afternoon! I've got evening plans I need to make it to and since I lost my planning block for a math meeting, I've got quite a bit to do before I leave for the day, so let's jump right into this week's math happenings. We've spent the week continuing our work on surface area and volume. The kids do fairly well with basic questions that either give labeled picture or clearly defined dimensions, but they struggle with word problems, which is to be expected as they are generally the hardest aspect of any unit. To help with this, we discussed how various word problems would play out in real life, breaking it down to whether we are looking for the outside (surface area) or volume (inside).
We also discussed possible complexities that have popped up in questions before. For example, the label of a soup can would only cover the sides, not the top and bottom circle, thus it's not asking for the total surface area, so you would eliminate the part of the formula used to find the area of those circles. We then explored what happens when you change an attribute/dimension. Because of the field trip yesterday along with the need to spend a little more time on the word problems, I had to bump the summative to Monday, so please remind the students to study this weekend.
I would also like to remind folks that grade reports for my class were sent home this week and that students were asked to bring those back signed. I still have quite a few who haven't returned them, so please do so as soon as possible. Alternatively, you can email stating you have reviewed your child's grades.
That should cover everything, but please feel free to email if you have any questions. Just a reminder that I do not respond to emails outside of working hours in efforts to establish a more healthy work/life balance, but I will get back to you Monday. I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!