A triangle, square, hexagon, and circle all have a perimeter of one unit. Eighth graders must attempt to find the area of each and arrange them in order from least to greatest areas. A terrific task for applying four different...

Scholars learn how to determine the area of compound shapes by finding the areas of the basic shapes that make it up. Pupils find the areas by adding areas together or subtracting them.

Take a coordinated look at rectangles. The task asks pupils to plot the length and width of created triangles in the coordinate plane. Using their plots, scholars respond to questions about rectangles and their associated points on the...

Here is a straightforward example of how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem to find an unknown side-length of a trapezoid. Commentary gives additional information on proving that the inside of the trapezoid is a rectangle, but is...

What if I can no longer justify area by counting squares? Lead a class discussion to find the area of a rectangular region with irrational side lengths. The class continues on with the idea of lower approximations and...

Calculate the areas of scale drawings until a more efficient method emerges. Pupils find the relationship between the scale factor of a scale drawing and the scale of the areas. They determine the scale of the areas is the square of the...

Surface area is the sum of the parts. Given the measurements of different prisms, pupils determine their surface areas. Individuals find the area of each surface and figure out the surface area by finding the sum. The video, part of a...

Not all structures take the shape of a polygon. The 21st lesson in a series of 29 shows young mathematicians they can create polygons out of composite shapes. Once they deconstruct the structures, they find the area of the composite figure.

Get third graders excited to work find area and perimeter of unit squares, rectangles, and irregular shapes. A 36-page packet comes with task cards, graphic organizers, practice worksheets, printables with squares, exit tickets, and word...

Scholars must determine the maximum area for a rectangular plot of land enclosed with 100 meters of rope. As the work they discover patterns and numerical approaches to solve the problem.

An exercise in finding the area of polygons by decomposing into triangles and composing into rectangles is the focus of this resource. Make several copies of the worksheet for each participant. Ask learners to use colored pencils to...

You'd be surprised what you can do with a string! The constraint is the length of string, and the task is to maximize area. Given a series of composite shapes, learners must create a formula for the maximum area for a specified...

Scholars use formulas for the area of a circle and the area of a rectangle to determine the number of pies a baker can make from a particular area of dough. They must also take into account rolling the remaining dough into a new sheet.

What properties does area possess? Solidify the area properties that pupils learned in previous years. Groups investigate the five properties using four problems, which then provide the basis for a class discussion.

Remodeling projects require more than just a good design — they involve complex fractions, too. To determine whether a tiling project will fit within a given budget pupils calculate the square footage to determine the number of...

An excellent activity that effectively pulls together the concepts of area, fractions, and equivalent fractions! Using 3x2 rectangular arrays, 3rd graders are introduced to the concept of area in terms of square units. Building on this...

An excellent lesson plan that encourages students to discover how complex figures can be broken into simpler shapes when measuring area. Working with block letters, learners are given the freedom to develop their own strategies for...

Find the area as it slides. Pupils derive an equation to find the painted area of a section of a trapezoidal-shaped stage The section depends upon the sliding distance the edge of the painted section is from a vertex of the trapezoid....

Apply area concepts to help farmers and settle county disputes. Scholars use a given diagram and information about an insecticide spraying campaign to determine the monetary benefit to farmers. They then decide which of two counties has...

Let knowledge grow bountifully like plants in a garden. Given a diagram of a rectangular garden split into plots, scholars determine the area of the entire garden and the areas of the individual plots. As a culminating activity, they...

Party planners need algebra too! Here, pupils decide the perfect size of a cake based on available ingredients. They use the concepts of area and perimeter to make their conclusions.

Lead a discussion on the similarities between the properties of area and the properties of volume. Using upper and lower approximations, pupils arrive at the formula for the volume of a general cylinder. 

Evaluate different aspects of geometry with one task. An assessment activity prompts learners to determine the area of a pathway in the shape of a parallelogram. The Pythagorean Theorem and area formulas for various polygons provide the...

Test your scholars' knowledge of a multitude of concepts with an assessment aligned to the California math standards. Using the exam, class members show what they know about the four operations, positive and negative numbers, statistics...