In the pictures below, you will see how the students found the volumes of their pencil boxes and other items using cubic inch blocks.
Through this experience, students figured out a short-cut method for finding volume:
First, multiply the length (l) by the width (w) to find how many cubes are in a layer.
Then, multiply that number by the height (h), which is the number of layers in the box.
l x w x h = volume (in cubic units)
More information about volume can be found below:
Kahn Academy: Volume: Measuring with Unit Cubes (Video)
Introducing Volume (You Tube Video)
Kids Math: Finding the Volume of a Cube or Box
Game: Volume Shapes Shoot