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EXPLORING PERIMETER AND AREA

Created by Ann Elise Record for Build Math Minds

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One of the most common issues in elementary geometry topics is how to help students learn the difference between the perimeter of a shape and its area. Here are lots of suggestions from members of the Build Math Minds Facebook group.

GENERAL ADVICE:

• Introduce the words at the beginning of the year and refer back to them over the course of the year rather than having the vocabulary isolated in one unit

• Make anchor charts and refer to them during the course of the year • Use painters tape to write the word area on a window or door in your classroom

and then write perimeter around the outside edge so students are seeing a visual of the words and their meanings

• When gathering students on your classroom rug, sometimes ask them to lineup around the perimeter of the rug and other times ask them cover the area of the rug so that they are kinesthetically acting out the meanings of the words

• ***word of caution*** Avoid rhymes and songs that discuss the formulas for calculating the area or perimeter since they may only be true for certain situations….for example, some songs say “Area is length times width” but that is only true for rectangles

GREAT PICTURE BOOKS ON THE TOPIC:

Spaghetti and Meatballs by Marilyn Burns Here’s “A Lesson for Fifth and Sixth Graders” by Cheryl Rectanus that was mentioned on the Math Solutions site.

EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERIMETER AND AREA Compiled from the Members of the Build Math Minds Facebook Community

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Sir Cumference and the Isle of Immeter (Math Adventures)

Perimeter - We want students to understand that the perimeter of a shape is the distance around its outside edge. It is a linear measurement. Some real life contexts for perimeter include fencing, picture frames, decorative borders around a room, and gutters around a house. Students can use string to measure the distance around their desks or other objects around the classroom and then lay the string out into a straight line and use a meter/yard stick to measure the total distance. You can involve the students kinesthetically by having them use their finger to trace the outside edges of their desks or other objects. There are also some clues within the word perimeter as well. The prefix “peri” means around. Additionally, it has the word “rim” within it and you can relate this to a basketball going around the rim of the basket. Some teachers have found it successful to relate it to a Law and Order theme of “securing the perimeter” of an area with yellow tape.

Area - We want students to understand that area is the space within a closed shape and we measure it using square units. Some real life contexts for area are square tiles in a floor or ceiling, square feet of wallpaper, dirt that can spread over a certain amount of square foot, and pictures. You can involve the students kinesthetically by having students use their hands to touch the flat surface of their desk or even lay on top of it to show the space that is on the surface of their desks. You can also relate the word area to array.

ACTIVITIES TO EXPLORE BOTH PERIMETER AND AREA (ONCE STUDENTS HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING WHAT EACH OF THE WORDS MEANS):

• have students design a zoo on a piece of grid paper and relate the amount of fencing and square footage of grass needed for each animal’s pen

• have students design a playground on a piece of grid paper and determine the amount of fencing or wooden border as well as the area of certain pieces of apparatus on the playground

• outside playground activity where you draw a chalk or taped outline of various shapes on the ground and students use square feet laminate from a local hardware store to determine the area and walk around the edges to determine the perimeter

EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERIMETER AND AREA Compiled from the Members of the Build Math Minds Facebook Community

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• use painters tape to make shapes on the floor of your classroom if it has tiles and determine the area and perimeter

• have students make their own artwork where the meaning of the word is incorporated into the picture (see examples at the top of this document)

• have students create a poster or video explaining the difference to other students • Use painters tape to have students create shapes on their desks and then use rulers

and 1 inch square tiles to determine the perimeter and area of the shapes • Explore the relationship between perimeter and area by having students

investigate some Always, Sometimes and Never situations - Will Perimeter always be more than Area? Can the perimeter and area ever be equal?

EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERIMETER AND AREA Compiled from the Members of the Build Math Minds Facebook Community

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