(Old) Timber

What’s the best strategy for cutting down trees?

Login to add lessons to your favorites

(Old) Timber

What’s the best strategy for cutting down trees?

Login to add lessons to your favorites

A newer, better version of this lesson is available! Explore all updated lessons here, or read more about the updates in Our Community.

2023-2024 Versions

In the fall of 2024, Citizen Math released updated versions of every lesson in our library, plus a few new ones! We know you may have already prepped an earlier version or planned a repeat of last year, so we're continuing to make these earlier versions available through Thursday December 5, 2024.

You can find the new lessons through the regular search, and we hope you love them as much as we do. You can read more about these updates in Our Community.

Click here for the updated version of this lesson!

What’s the best strategy for cutting down trees? From building houses to burning charcoal, humans have many different uses for wood. Unfortunately, trees are disappearing in many parts of the world, including the older and larger trees that are so critical to the environment.

In this lesson, student use cylinder volume to determine how the amount of wood in a tree changes as it grows and discuss how communities around the world can harvest (or not harvest) wood in a sustainable way.

REAL WORLD TAKEAWAYS

  • Humans cut down trees so they can use the wood for homes, charcoal, paper, etc.
  • Trees are also valuable when they’re not cut down. Trees provide habit for animals, create oxygen, and help cool the planet.
  • Trees grow with time, so more mature trees simply have more tree to them. A more mature, bigger tree will also gain more volume in a year than they it would have when it was younger and smaller.

MATH OBJECTIVES

  • Calculate the volume of a cylinder
  • Solve real world problems using unit rates

Appropriate most times as students are developing conceptual understanding.
Grade 8
Cones, Cylinders, Spheres
Grade 8
Cones, Cylinders, Spheres
Content Standards
Mathematical Practices

Other Grade 8 Lessons