Using the recommendation that regular parking spaces at a mall should be 9'x12' and handicapped spaces (3% of the total) should be 15'x20,' students create parking spaces in the classroom and on the playground to develop a sense of area in square feet. They analyze how much the area changes as dimensions are increased. Introductory ideas of percent are also addressed, as students figure out how many of 5000 parking spaces need to be reserved for handicapped parking. A worksheet and suggested extensions are included. This lesson is based on an article that appeared in the January 1998 issue of Teaching Children Mathematics. (sw)

Students do some mathematics in preparation for making brownies. They consider the inverse relationship between the base area of two different sizes of cake pans and the thickness of the same volume of batter poured into each pan. They also consider ways of cutting the brownies into various numbers of equal pieces by folding paper that matches the base of each pan. This lesson is based on an article that appeared in the February 1994 issue of Arithmetic Teacher. (author/sw)

Students must determine how much the volume of a box changes if the height is doubled and the width is tripled. This multiple-choice question is a sample item used in the 2005 Ohio Grade 7 Achievement Test (see Overview of Ohio's Assessment System). The URL link (above) takes the user directly to the test item (PDF), with access to performance data, complexity level of the item, and discussion of incorrect responses. This OAT item is also available in Microsoft® Word. The Ohio Department of Education Instructional Management System website allows visitors to search for test items by subject and grade band and build a printable database of questions using the Add to Your Backpack function. ODE Reference Information: 2005 Ohio Grade 7 Achievement Test for Mathematics, Annotated Item 44. (author/sw)

Students must describe what happens to the volume of a cylindrical barrel when the height is reduced by 2/3. This multiple-choice question is a sample item used in the 2006 Ohio Grade 7 Achievement Test (see Overview of Ohio's Assessment System). The URL link (above) takes the user directly to the OAT item (PDF), with access to performance data, complexity level of the item, and discussion of incorrect responses. The Ohio Department of Education Instructional Management System website allows visitors to search for test items by subject and grade band and build a printable database of questions using the Add to Your Backpack function. ODE Reference Information: 2006 Ohio Grade 7 Achievement Test for Mathematics, Annotated Item 22. (author/sw)

Students need to analyze and explain the effects that doubling the length versus doubling the diameter have on the volume of a circular cylinder. This extended-response question is a sample item used in the 2008 Ohio Grade 7 Achievement Test (see Overview of Ohio's Assessment System). The URL link (above) takes the user directly to the OAT item (PDF), with access to performance data, complexity level of the item, a complete solution of the problem, and a scoring rubric. The Ohio Department of Education Instructional Management System website allows visitors to search for test items by subject and grade band and build a printable database of questions using the Add to Your Backpack function. ODE Reference Information: 2008 Ohio Grade 7 Achievement Test for Mathematics, Annotated Item 26. (author/sw)