Area and Perimeter with Cheez-Its Lesson Plan

I've finally gotten off of my lazy butt and decided to post the whole darn lesson plan. This is because a number of teachers have located my blog, and emailed me requests for this lesson. I do have to admit that the idea is not my own, but I did add to the worksheet that I found. Originally the worksheet had only four problems on it, but I felt that a mere four problems would not be enough of a challenge to my students. Here you go! I hope this helps your students to learn area and perimeter. It certainly was effective for my kiddos.


Each cracker is about a square inch. So if you want a worksheet for this lesson plan, simply make sure that you are drawing rectangles that are in square inches. If you want a copy of the worksheet I made, email me and I'll try to get it to you sooner rather than later. I tried to put it on here, but it didn't work so well.


*** EDIT*** Found the website I got the worksheet (which I modified because I wanted it to have more problems):  http://www.proteacher.net/. 

Lesson Nine: Cheez-It Area

Time: 1 hour

Materials:

• 20 Cheez-Its for each student, pre-counted in sandwich baggies.
• Cheez-It worksheets.
• SmartBoard.
• Access to sinks for hand washing.
• Writing utensils.
• Scratch paper.

Lesson Design:

The students had not yet up until this point worked with any manipulatives. I felt that it would be best if we worked some manipulatives into the lesson. Because I love these crackers and they are about 1 square inch in area, I felt they would be the perfect tool for the students to work with. I picked up two boxes of crackers.

Prerequisites:

• Know the concept of perimeter, and how it is found on basic polygons (squares, rectangles, and triangles).
• Know the basics of the concept of area, and how to find it.
• Use multiplication and addition.
• Understand simple measurement abbreviations, such as in. and ft.
• Know what a polygon is.
• Know what squares and rectangles are.

Oregon Education Standards:

• Math: 4.3 Measurement: Develop an understanding of area and determine the areas of two-dimensional shapes.
• Math: 4.3.2 Determine area by finding the total number of same-sized units of area that cover a shape without gaps or overlaps.
• Math: 4.3.3 Recognize a square that is one unit on a side as the standard unit for measuring area.
• Math: 4.3.7 Solve problems involving perimeters and areas of rectangles and squares.

Lesson Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand that area is a property of two dimensional shapes.
• Recognize that a square is used as the standard unit for measuring area.
• Find the area of rectangles using same-sized units.
• Solve problems involving the area of rectangles and squares.
• Have an understanding of real world applications for perimeter and area.

Unit Objectives:

This lesson is working towards the following unit objectives:

• Find the area of basic geometric shapes such as rectangles and squares.
• Define the key vocabulary words associated with the unit, such as area and perimeter.
• Use non-traditional measurement tools to find the area of a two-dimensional shape.
• Discuss how perimeter and area have real world applications.
• Show their understanding through small group and classroom discussions.
• Describe the processes they used in solving the mathematical problems.

Anticipatory Set:

• Start off with a rhombus on the SmartBoard. State “We are going to briefly go over the shape of a rhombus, to clarify just what a rhombus is.”
• Have under the quadrilateral (rhombus) the following points:

1. Like a square, a rhombus has four sides of equal length.
2. A rhombus has two pairs of parallel sides.
3. A rhombus has four angles, the angles opposite of each other are equal.

• Go over the three points about a rhombus with the students. Be sure to use different colored pens to provide visual aides for the three main points about a rhombus.
• Transition to reiteration of what perimeter and area are. Have students trace the perimeter of their desks, and rub the surface area of their desks for area.
• On the SmartBoard some pictures to provide visuals for why knowing perimeter and area is useful for real world applications.
• Transition to a large grid graph paper background on the SmartBoard. Discuss with the students how we use squares as a unit of measurement, and that we will not always have the luxury of graph paper to find the area of a shape.
• Place some practice squares and rectangles on the board for the students to do with scratch paper.
• When the students have found the area and perimeter of the practice problems, take volunteers to show their mathematical thinking on the board.

Procedure:

• Bring out the bags of Cheez-Its and worksheets. Shift the SmartBoard over to show the following instructions:

1. Do not eat the Cheez-Its yet.
2. Wash hands.
3. Find the area of each shape on your worksheet.
4. Clearly label the area Ex. Area = 24 Cheez-Its or Area = 23 sq CI (CI = Cheez-Its)
5. When you are finished turn in your worksheet, then you may eat the crackers or save them for lunch.
6. When done with the crackers please read an AR book.

• Discuss the directions with the class.
• Offer up the challenge of finding out how many crackers it would take to cover their whole worksheet. Advise the students that this would be for bonus points, and to only do it after they have completed all of the other problems. Have them write the answer on their worksheet under the place for their names. (Note: Cheez-It crackers are about one square inch, the worksheets are going to be on 8.5” x 11” pieces of paper. It would take 93.5 crackers to cover their worksheets.)
• When it comes to the hand washing portion send some students to the sink at the back of the room and others to the restrooms by the classroom. Instruct them to be quiet as they do so.
• Pass out the crackers and worksheets while the students are washing their hands.

Closure:

• The students will work quietly finding the area of the various rectangles on the worksheets, using the crackers as a unit of measurement.
• When the students are finished they will turn in their worksheets, and can then eat their Cheez-Its.

Assessment:
I will know that students have reached the objectives of this lesson because:

Formative:

• They will show their mathematical thinking when they share how they found the perimeter and area on the board. Reteaching will be done if needed.
• I will walk around the classroom as the students work to find the area with the crackers. Reteaching will be done if needed, or individual assistance provided as needed.

Summative:

• The worksheets that the students turn in will show if they were successful in understanding the concepts of area.

Adaptations:

Special Needs:

• Definitions written on the board. Visual aids will be provided on the board.
• Students will be asked to trace with their fingers, the perimeter of their desks to provide a concrete meaning to the concept.
• Students will be asked to rub the surface area of their desks to provide a concrete meaning to the concept.
• Provide students with a more simple word that they already know with a similar meaning to perimeter. Perimeter = Around Area = Surface.
• Use of crackers as manipulatives to further ingrain the idea of area in the students' minds.

ESOL:

• Definitions written on the board. Visual aids will be provided on the board.
• Students will be asked to trace with their fingers, the perimeter of their desks to provide a concrete meaning to the concept.
• Students will be asked to rub the surface area of their desks to provide a concrete meaning to the concept.
• Provide students with a more simple word that they already know with a similar meaning to perimeter. Perimeter = Around Area = Surface.
• Use of crackers as manipulatives to further ingrain the idea of area in the students' minds.

TAG:

• For more advanced students offer up the challenge of finding out how many crackers it would take to cover their whole worksheet. Advise the students that this would be for bonus points, and to only do it after they have completed all of the other problems. They must show their work. Have them write the answer on their worksheet under the place for their names.