Area and Perimeter

NABETH ROEHRS
Third Grade/Math

Common Core Standards:

Measurement and Data 3.MD.5 Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area
to multiplication and to addition.
3.MD.5 Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement.
a. A square with side length 1 unit, called a unit square, is said to have one square unit of area, and can be
used to measure area.
b. A plane figure which can be covered without gaps or overlaps by n unit squares is said to have an area of n
square units.
Measurement and Data 3.MD.6 Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area
to multiplication and to addition.
3.MD.6 Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft., and improvised
units).
Measurement and Data 3.MD.7 Geometric measurement: understand concepts of area and relate area
to multiplication and to addition.
3.MD.7 Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition.
a. Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by tiling it, and show that the area is the same
as would be found by multiplying the side lengths.
b. Multiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole-number side lengths in the context of solving
real world and mathematical problems, and represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in
mathematical reasoning.
c. Use tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths a and b + c
is the sum of a b and a c. Use area models to represent the distributive property in mathematical reasoning.
d. Recognize area as additive. Find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing them into nonoverlapping
rectangles and adding the areas of the non-overlapping parts, applying this technique to solve real world
problems.
Measurement and Data 3.MD.8 Geometric measurement: recognize perimeter as an attribute of plane
figures and distinguish between linear and area measures.
3.MD.8 Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the
perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same
perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters.

Lesson Summary:

The purpose of this lesson is to teach students about area and perimeter. Students should be proficient at
measuring, using units to determine area and perimeter, use addition and multiplication of whole numbers to
compute area and perimeter and apply the concepts to real world applications.
Estimated Duration:
This lesson will take approximately four 50 minute sessions to complete all projects. Initial session to be
teacher guided. The second lesson to include 3 stations with different activities, the third session will be
teacher guided with independent work and the fourth session will be a group project.
Commentary: This lesson uses many different approaches to engage the students in the topic. There will be
opportunities to explore independently, as a class and in small groups. This will enable everyone to work at
their own pace and provide support for those who need it. There will be opportunities for advanced students to
go further with exploration if they choose.
One challenge may be with helping students who miss a day, catch up. Another possible challenge would be
gaging the time needed for students to fully explore and grasp the concepts.
I think students will be hooked when we start with a fun book that presents a problem to solve. Then kids
moving through stations will keep the students from getting bored. I think students will enjoy measuring their
homes and inputting data in Excel. The final project lets student choose how they may want to apply the
concepts they have learned giving them choice and showing them how the concepts are applicable in real life.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:
First 10 minutes: Introductory activity- I will read the book, Spaghetti and Meatballs for all! By Marilyn
Burns
10 minutes: We will then talk about the concepts in the book and make sure students understand the concepts
of perimeter and area. I will use the Smartboard to illustrate the concepts and pass out manipulatives for
students to use to explore.
20 minutes: Student will use manipulatives and explore the concepts of area and perimeter on their own.
There will be prompts for them to answer. I will be walking around the room to give support to students who
may need it.
10 minutes: Students will use the Plicker cards to show their answers to the questions as I walk around with
the I-pad. The questions and answers will be posted on the Smartboard so I can see if the students are
grasping the concepts and where the pitfalls may be.
Day 2:
First 10 minutes: I will explain the 3 stations and what students need to do at each station to complete the
tasks.

The next 30 minutes the students will rotate through each of the three stations to complete the assignment
spending 10 minutes at each station. I will be assisting as needed.
The first station will be measuring specific objects around the classroom to determine the area and the
perimeter. (Classroom door, rug, desk, etc.)
The second station will be students experimenting with 20 cheeze-it crackers to try to come up with a shape
that yields the largest perimeter.
The third station will be students computing the area and perimeter of non-rectangular shapes using the floor
or wall tiles taped off in various shapes.
The last 10 minutes: the students will come together as a class to discuss the findings of the activities and I will
guide the discussion to help the understanding of the concepts. This discussion will help me determine the
comprehension of the lesson. Plicker cards would also be used to graph results of class questions to
determine competency displayed on the Smartboard.
Day 3:
Previous evening homework would be for the students to measure all of the first floor rooms of their own
house for the lesson activity. (Kitchen, Living room, Dining room, Family Room, Den etc.)
Students will have a worksheet for them to write down the measurements and bring to class the next day.
First 15-20 minutes: I will instruct the class on how to open Excel on the laptops. I will also walk them
through an example on the Smartboard and then walk them through how to set up the Excel worksheet for the
project.
The next 20-25 minutes students will input their data (house room measurements) into Excel and answer the
related questions regarding finding the area and perimeter of each room and the collective area and perimeter.
The final 5-15 minutes will be used helping students save their work and having students color code their
rooms. I will be available for support throughout the lesson.
Day 4:
The first 10 minutes: I will introduce the final project options and the requirements for each. The students will
work in groups of 2-3 students. The students will be choosing between :
Wallpapering a classroom This project involves a cardboard box which represents the classroom.
Students will be instructed to decorate the classroom with wallpaper and a border. Students will take wall
measurements to determine the area needing to be wallpapered and the perimeter measurement of the box to
determine how much border to order. The students will need to complete the wallpaper order form to
determine how many square inches of wallpaper to order. Once the wallpaper order has been turned in, I will
distribute the ordered wallpaper and the student will get to see if they calculated the amount correctly.
Sports Field Construction This project involves a flat piece of cardboard which represents a sports field.
There will be a pre drawn rectangle representing the field and 2 cutouts of Bleachers. Students must
determine the amount of Astroturf to buy for the field and the amount of Asphalt for the rest of the
surface. No asphalt is needed under the bleachers. The students must also determine how much fencing is
needed to enclose the Sports Complex. Students must order supplies on the order form and supplies will be
distributed.
Garden Design This project involves a flat piece of cardboard that represents a garden plot. There will be a

pre drawn rectangle on the garden plot representing a garden path and 2 additional smaller rectangles
representing a flower garden and a vegetable garden. Students must determine how much gravel to order for
the garden path and how much grass seed to order for the other area. Students will need to glue down the
flower garden and the vegetable garden and not purchase grass seed for these areas. Students will need to
order fencing to enclose the garden. Students again will fill out an order form to order supplies for their
project.
The next 30 minutes: Students will work in their groups to complete an above project. I will be the store for
the supplies and distribute supplies for the projects. Students will decorate their projects with the ordered
supplies and determine if they calculated the amounts correctly.
The last 10 minutes: Students will share their finished projects with the class. I will video the presentations to
post for parents.

Pre-Assessment:
For the pre assessment, I will have an informal discussion with students to judge their knowledge of the
concepts of area and perimeter. We will talk about real world applications and do some preliminary problems
involving addition, subtraction and multiplication of area and perimeter using the Plicker cards to determine
comprehension.
Scoring Guidelines:
I will use teacher judgment, project completion, and Plicker data to determine whether students have met the
standard. Having four lessons to reinforce the concepts will help me get a student on track and give a student
time to practice the concepts a variety of ways to increase comprehension.
I will be observing students throughout the four lessons and use evaluating questions and Plicker cards on Day
1 and 2.

Post-Assessment:
I will have a post assessment exam following the four lesson on area and perimeter in addition to the group
project on Day 4.
Scoring Guidelines:
The exam will be graded for a letter grade and the project will be scored for accuracy in the materials ordering.
Students will have the opportunity to correct their calculations and make adjustments to materials order
forms if necessary on the Day 4 project. I feel the students should be able to learn from their mistakes and be
able to show they know how to accurately compute the correct amount of materials needed.

Differentiated Instructional Support

For students who are accelerated, an additional or substitute project could be used where students would
design their Dream Home. Using 100 x 100 graph paper, students could design a one story home. Each
square would represent 1 foot and the rooms would need to be able to hold appropriate furnishings. Rooms
would need to be labeled and flooring ordered. An additional extension such as having students determine the
cost of needed supplies ($5/sq. ft. for carpet, $7 sq. ft. for tile and $10 sq. ft. for hard wood flooring) Wall cost
could be $10 per ft. . Have students determine the cost of each room and then the total cost of the house.
For students needing additional support, students could use on-line Geoboards for additional practice. Guided
questions instructing students to Make a long thin rectangle or a large square and have the student determine
the area and perimeter of these shapes. See if students can find a rectangle that has an area larger than its
perimeter and vice versa.
http://nlvm.usu.edu/ online virtual manipulatives
https://www.mathlearningcenter.org/web-apps/geoboard/ another option

Extension
Here are some good practice websites for area and perimeter.
https://www.khanacademy.org/math/pre-algebra/pre-algebra-measurement/prealgebra-perimeter/e/area-andperimeter-of-rectangles-word-problems
http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol1/practice_unit1.html

Homework Options and Home Connections

For the Day 3 lesson, students will be measuring the rooms of their house as homework. During the lesson in
class the students will be imputing the dimensions into an Excel worksheet and making a floor plan of their
home. Students will use the data to determine the Area and Perimeter of the rooms in their homes and the total
area and perimeter of the home.
Students will need parent assistance to measure and record the dimensions of each room using a tape measure.

Interdisciplinary Connections
This math lesson incorporates literature, art, and could even involve budgeting and money.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers

Smartboard, Book-Spaghetti and Meatballs for All, Cutouts of tables and chairs for
each student group, Plicker Cards, Cheeze-its (20 for each student) Colored Tape to
outline floor tiles, Cardboard boxes, Flat Cardboard, Wallpaper, Border and other art
supplies for Garden project and Sport Complex Project, I Pad.

For students

Lap tops, Smartboard, rulers, pencils, worksheets, tape measure, Plicker Cards

Key Vocabulary
Area, Perimeter, one square unit, side length

Additional Notes