Group Work
In this project, students will work in groups to:

• identify the amount and type of cargo that can go into each type of car, using the various geometric formulas for volume;
   
• on the basis of weight and/or volume, determine how many cars are required to ship the freight; and
   
• make any necessary conversions such as gallons to cubic feet, packs to pallet sizes, and pounds to cubic feet.
   

As they complete the computations, all students should complete a worksheet.

Encourage students to show their work on the worksheets. It will help them when they write their final reports. 

Two sets of worksheets for students are included. The difference is the level of scaffolding provided.

Teachers may want to work through the first product (apples) with the entire class.
 

Final Report

Individually, students will:

• explain how they determined the volume (carrying capacity) of each car;
   
• use the conclusions from  the group work to create the list of cars (including type and number of each car) and an explanation of how the cargo fits into each car;
   
• identify the least-cost scenario to get the various cargos to their final destinations; and
   
• write a detailed shipment manifest that outlines how much of each material a car contains and provides details for loading the materials.
   

​​Students will need access to their completed Freight Worksheets as they complete the final report.