This task structure both engages students in serious, grade-level appropriate mathematical work and allows the teacher to do the intentional and purposeful work of building a collaborative classroom culture. We highlight possibilities for adapting this task structure to teach different mathematics content across grade levels 3-5.

This article describes activities for developing an understanding of a formula for calculating the volume of a rectangular prism. The core activity concerns determining the volume of water in a backyard skating rink. (Contains 4 figures.)