Teaching surface area can be one of the more challenging topics in geometry, but with the right strategies and tools, it can become an engaging and rewarding experience for both teachers and students. As a seasoned math teacher, I’ve developed several lessons to help students grasp the concept of surface area. In this blog post, I’ll share these strategies and introduce you to a valuable resource that will make your teaching even more effective: the Surface Area Formulas Graphic Organizer.

Why Starting with a Low Floor Warm Up is Important

Engaging students at the start of the lesson is crucial. If you lose their attention in the first few minutes, it can be difficult to get their attention back. One way I have found to engage all students at the start of a lesson is to incorporate an entry level warm up prompt. I really like using “What do you notice?” and “What do you wonder?” as entry level prompts. All level of students can be successful with this task and I am always surprised when they notice or wonder ideas I would never have thought of myself.

Strategies for Teaching Surface Area

  1. Nets: Start the unit with a hands on introduction lesson to help students better understand what surface area is all about. Exploring different nets is a great activity to help students understand surface area for different shapes.
  2. Vocabulary: When introducing formulas for surface area, it is important to review each vocabulary term that is part of the formula. For example, if the surface area of a sphere has “r” for radius in the formula, then make sure that students know the difference between a diameter and a radius.
  3. Review Basic Area formulas: When I taught surface area to my class, I found that some students needed a review of finding the area of basic 2 dimensional shapes. These shapes would be the bases of our 3 dimensional solids.
  4. Real-Life Applications: Connect the topic to real-life situations. Have students calculate the surface area required to wrap a gift, the leather of a baseball, or the fabric of a tent. These practical applications make learning more relevant and interesting.
  5. Practice, Practice, Practice: Provide ample opportunities for practice. Use a variety of problems so students can apply their knowledge in different contexts.

Need a Surface Area Graphic Organizer?

I’ve got you covered! To further support your teaching, I’ve created a Surface Area Formulas Graphic Organizer, a powerful tool designed to help students visually organize and remember the different surface area formulas. This organizer includes formulas for finding the surface area of the following solids:

  • Sphere
  • Cylinder
  • Prism
  • Pyramid
  • Cone

By using this graphic organizer, students can easily reference the formulas and understand the relationships between different shapes. It’s an excellent resource for in-class activities, homework assignments, and test preparation. And, I’ve included 2 pages of practice worksheets too. Grab your free copy below!

Interested in checking out my lessons? If so, visit my TPT shop linked here or click on an image below.

I hope these tips and resources help you in your classroom. Happy teaching!