Measurement & Geometry
Chapter 12 | Perimeter, area and volume
Teacher Resource Sheets
Perimeter and area (pages 212, 214 and 216)
Anyone for swimming? (Getting started 12)
(This sheet could be used as a starter or as a review to assess students' understanding of finding areas by counting squares prior to starting Perimeter and area on page 216.)
This displays the Getting started on page 209.
This could be used as a class discussion about how the perimeter and area of irregular areas can be found.
Lengths and areas (Teacher Resource Sheet 90)
(This sheet could be used prior to the teaching section on page 216.)
This displays a diagram of a 1 cm2 area sharing a corner with a 2 cm2 area, a 3 cm2 area, etc and overlapping. Students are prompted to notice the way the area grows in relationship to growth in the length of the sides. They could draw the number of cm2 as the shape grows. A diagram is given for students to complete to show the relationship.
Animal Trust roadshow
(This activity could be used as a class practical activity during the perimeter and area section. It could also be used as an extension activity for a group.)
Ask students to imagine that Animal Trust is coming to the school with their roadshow truck and an outdoor photo exhibition. The trust needs a fenced off area on the school grounds to park their truck and to set up the large display boards for the photo exhibition.
This will promote discussion about where it should go, how big it should be etc.
Send students out with a tape measure to measure parts of the school grounds to help decide where to set up the fenced area. Evaluate space, access and resources needed to decide. You could provide a satellite view of the school grounds to assist students.
Tell them that fencing to enclose the truck and exhibition costs $150 per metre and they have to provide a plan with the perimeter and area to the organisation as well as the bill for the fencing.
The painter is coming
(This activity could be used as a class practical activity during the perimeter and area section. It could also be used as an extension activity for a group.)
Tell students that a painter is coming to paint the spouting on the school buildings and that he charges according to how many metres of spouting he has to paint. His charge rate is $20 per metre.
Divide the class into groups and send each group with a tape measure to find the perimeter of each of the buildings (assuming there is spouting around the full perimeter of each building).
You could discuss these:
the best units to use,
how accurate the measurements need to be,
strategies for adding the measurements.
If students decide to measure in cm so that they do not have to add decimals this can lead to discussion about the conversion of cm to m.
Picture perfect (Teacher Resource Sheet 91)
(This activity could be used as a puzzle for a group to help students with the idea of estimating perimeters and areas sensibly. It could be used just prior to Perimeter and area on page 216.)
This displays some photos and dimensions of famous paintings that might be coming to be displayed at a local gallery.
Students have to calculate the perimeters and areas of these famous paintings.
Treasure island (Teacher Resource Sheet 92)
(This activity could be used as a class or group activity to help engage students in the topic of perimeter and area.)
This displays a map of an island with a grid over the top.
Students are asked some questions about perimeter and areas related to the map.
You could ask students to estimate the areas first.
Volume (page 220)
Blocks (Teacher Resource Sheet 93)
(This activity could be used as a class practical activity to introduce the idea of volume and how it relates to area. It could be used in conjunction with the practical How many fit? on page 220.)
This displays some pictures of cuboids and a table to fill in like the one in the practical How many fit? on page 220. You could make the models and have them on display for students to handle.
You could do this part of the practical as a class activity if you wish.
Estimation game
(This suggestion transforms the practical question 1 How many fit? on page 220 into a game.)
You could work on the practical question 1 How many fit? on page 220 as a class and make it into a game by dividing the class into groups and putting empty boxes around the room.
Each group walks around the room and looks at each box and as a group they decide how many place value blocks will fit into the box when neatly packed.
The groups write down their estimates.
Each group then fills one of the boxes with place value blocks.
For each box, the group with the closest estimate gets 10 points, the second closest group gets 5 points.
The winning group is the one with the most points.
NOTE: It is best if you can choose boxes that will snugly fit a layer of place value blocks. If there is a gap down the side it makes it harder to estimate and can lead to arguments. You could make some boxes out of cardboard for this purpose.
Block it (Teacher Resource Sheet 94)
(This activity could be used to introduce the idea of estimating volume in conjunction with the practical on page 220.)
This displays some photos of objects.
Students are asked for some ideas on ways that could be used to describe how much space the object takes up.
Whatever they suggest, they are asked to write down their estimate of how much space the object takes up.
For example, if they suggest that 1 m by 1 m by 1 m cubes could be used, then they might guess that the first object would take up 15 of these cubes. Discuss the estimates and decide who is most likely to be closest.
Generate a class discussion about the best way to describe how much space an object takes up and stress the importance of standard units.
