Education Technology

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  • Subject Area

    • Math: Middle Grades Math: Geometry
    • Math: Middle Grades Math: Measurement
    • Math: Geometry: Surface Area and Volume

  • Author

    Becky Brickell

  • Level

    6-8
    9-12

  • Activity Time

    5 Minutes

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Surface Area of Cylinder Song

Activity Overview

Here's a silly song that I use with my classes to help them remember how to find the surface area of cylinders. My students actually suggested that I submit this!

During the Activity

We do all the usual activities teachers already know to help students understand the process of finding surface area of a cylinder. Then I teach them this song to the tune of Camptown Races (like Foghorn Leghorn sings):

2 times pi times r times h; that's the middle.
2 times pi times r times r; top and bottom, too.
Surface area!
Of a cylinder! It's
2 times pi times r times h plus two times pi times r times r.

After the Activity

I offer bonus points to any student willing to sing the song in front of the entire class. If a student sings alone, they get 6 points. If two students sing together, they each get 3 points.