5.C.8-2 (Chains of Reasoning) 5.MD.5 Finding Total Volume

Dolphin Exhibit Design

The local aquarium is building a new dolphin exhibit. It must have a section for the dolphins to be trained and another section where the dolphins can be visible and interact with the visiting spectators. The engineers designed a model to show to the architects. Below is the model that the engineers came up with. 

Model of a Dolphin Exhibit
Real_Dolphin_Tank.pngModel of a Dolphin Exhibit

This is the model of the dolphin exhibit. The model is a composite figure made of two rectangular prisms. There are two sections. The first is the spectator section. The second is the training section. The spectator section has a length of 12 meters, a width of 6 meters, and a height of 6 meters. The training section has a length of 6 meters, a width of 18 meters, and a height of 6 meters.


  • What is the volume of the training section?
  • What is the volume of the spectator section?
  • What is the total volume of the dolphin exhibit?

Scoring Rubric

Score 5

Student response includes the following 5 elements.

●      Reasoning component = 5 points

○      The missing side length of the training section

○      The missing side length of the spectator section

○      The volume of the training section

○      The volume of the spectator section

○      The total volume of the dolphin exhibit

 

Sample Student Response:

 

In order to find the volume of the training section, I had to find the height. I added the opposite sides to find that the missing side length was 18 m3 . The volume of the training section is 648 cubic meters (m3 ).

 

Next, I had to find the volume of the spectator section. I had to find the width. I subtracted the opposite sides (18 m3 minus 6 m3) to find that the missing side length was 12 m3. The volume of the spectator section is cubic meters.

 

In order to find the total volume of the dolphin exhibit, I had to add the volume of both of the sections together. (equation). The total volume is 1,080 cubic meters (m3).

Score 4

Student response includes 4 of the 5 elements.

Score 3

Student response includes 3 of the 5 elements.

Score 2

Student responses includes 2 of 5 elements.

Score 1

Student responses includes 1 of 5 elements.

Score 0

Student response is incorrect or irrelevant.

Return to top