Back to the lesson plan builder
Lesson length30 min45 min60 min

Print the plan for yourself; the student sheet prints on its own page after it.

Math lesson plan · 10th grade (Year 11 in England) · 30 minutes

Find the volume of a frustum

Geometry

CCSS HSG.GMD.A.3CCSS HSG.MG.A.1England: GCSE Higher Geometry

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Find the volume of a frustum.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Find the volume of composite solids; Use length, area and volume scale factors

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: Rulers and protractors, Squared or dotted paper, Shape cut-outs, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Find the volume of composite solids; Use length, area and volume scale factors). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. A rocket model is a cylinder (radius 8 cm, height 12 cm) with a cone (same radius, height 8 cm) on top. Find its volume to 1 decimal place. → 2948.9Prompt: Find each part's volume and add them.
  2. Two similar shapes have lengths in the ratio 1 : 5. The smaller has area 30 cm². What is the area of the larger? → 750Prompt: Areas scale by the square of the length factor.
  3. A capsule is a cylinder of radius 2 cm and length 15 cm with a hemisphere on one end. Find its volume to 1 decimal place. → 205.3Prompt: A hemisphere is half a sphere: ⅔πr³.

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a photo of a building, a tile pattern or a road sign and ask what shapes and angles students can spot.
  • Share the objective: Find the volume of a frustum. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: A cone has base radius 18 cm and height 12 cm. The top is cut off parallel to the base, leaving a small cone of radius 12 cm and height 8 cm removed. Find the volume of the frustum that is left, to 1 decimal place.
  • Step 1: â…“Ï€(18² × 12 − 12² × 8)
  • Step 2: ≈ 2865.1 cm³
  • Answer: 2865.1
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. A cone has base radius 18 cm and height 18 cm. The top is cut off parallel to the base, leaving a small cone of radius 12 cm and height 12 cm removed. Find the volume of the frustum that is left, to 1 decimal place. → 4297.7Prompt: Frustum = big cone − small cone.
  2. A cone of volume 216π cm³ has its top cut off. The removed cone is similar with a length scale factor of 2/3. What fraction of the original volume is left? Give a fraction. → 19/27Prompt: Volumes scale by the cube of the length factor.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. A cone of volume 864π cm³ has its top cut off. The removed cone is similar with a length scale factor of 2/3. What fraction of the original volume is left? Give a fraction. → 19/27Prompt: Volumes scale by the cube of the length factor.
  2. A cone has base radius 18 cm and height 24 cm. The top is cut off parallel to the base, leaving a small cone of radius 12 cm and height 16 cm removed. Find the volume of the frustum that is left, to 1 decimal place. → 5730.3Prompt: Frustum = big cone − small cone.

Watch out for

  • Thinking a square turned on its corner is no longer a square.
  • Reading the wrong scale on a protractor.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Find the volume of composite solids.
  • Use concrete materials: rulers and protractors.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/grade-10.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

Find the volume of a frustum

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    A cone of volume 864π cm³ has its top cut off. The removed cone is similar with a length scale factor of 2/3. What fraction of the original volume is left? Give a fraction.

    Answer(as a fraction)

  2. Question 2

    A cone has base radius 18 cm and height 18 cm. The top is cut off parallel to the base, leaving a small cone of radius 6 cm and height 6 cm removed. Find the volume of the frustum that is left, to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

  3. Question 3

    A cone of volume 576π cm³ has its top cut off. The removed cone is similar with a length scale factor of 2/3. What fraction of the original volume is left? Give a fraction.

    Answer(as a fraction)

  4. Question 4

    A cone has base radius 12 cm and height 30 cm. The top is cut off parallel to the base, leaving a small cone of radius 8 cm and height 20 cm removed. Find the volume of the frustum that is left, to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

  5. Question 5

    A cone has base radius 6 cm and height 18 cm. The top is cut off parallel to the base, leaving a small cone of radius 3 cm and height 9 cm removed. Find the volume of the frustum that is left, to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

  6. Question 6

    A cone has base radius 18 cm and height 18 cm. The top is cut off parallel to the base, leaving a small cone of radius 9 cm and height 9 cm removed. Find the volume of the frustum that is left, to 1 decimal place.

    Answer

Free from eurekami.com

for the adult only

Answer key: Find the volume of a frustum

  1. 1. 19/27

  2. 2. 5881.1

  3. 3. 19/27

  4. 4. 3183.5

  5. 5. 593.8

  6. 6. 5343.8