This lesson was created for middle school Math and will focus on the use of geometric concepts in architecture, with a specific focus on geodesic domes. Students will develop a plan for finding the surface area of three-dimensional figures by applying their knowledge of congruent faces and area formulas of the polygons that make up a polyhedron. Students will first find the surface area of a triangular prism using a net, and will then use the same process to find the surface area of a geodesic dome. (Download: SMART Notebook, ActivInspire)
The following Common Core Standards are addressed:
CCSS.Math.Content: 7.G.A.1 Solve problems involving scale drawings of geometric figures, including computing actual lengths and areas from a scale drawing and reproducing a scale drawing at a different scale.
CCSS.Math.Content:7.G.B.6 Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving area, volume and surface area of two- and three-dimensional objects composed of triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, cubes, and right prisms.
