SCHOOL DIRECTORY
Catholic Education South Australia
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  • Measurement involves using consistent units in order to make comparisons 
  • Estimation is an important aid in measurement skills 
  • Area, Perimeter and Volume are related to each other

Inquiry Question

Why are area and perimeter important mathematical concepts?

Resource

Back to Front Maths

Back to Front Maths is a website with many Mathematical resources created by Tierney Kennedy. Her resources are free to use during the virus pandemic. Provided in the links below are task books with a variety of measurement activities to support parents and students. 

Link: Back to Front Maths

Link: Back to Front Maths

Math Antics

Math Antics video unpacking concepts of area.

Link: Math Antics - Concepts of Area

Math Antics video unpacking concepts of perimeter.

Link: Math Antics - Concepts of Perimeter

ABC Education

A video, "Most Humans are Squares," asks students to investigate whether their arm span and height makes a square 

Link: ABC Education

Australian Curriculum Lessons

Australian Curriculum Lessons website provides learning resources aligned to the Australian Curriculum. The investigation, My Dream Home, focuses on measurement concepts within a real-life scenario. Students design their own dream house while using many mathematical and design processes with the final outcome being a complete house design with all costing included.

Link: Australian Curriculum Lessons

re(Solve)

re(Solve) is a Mathematics and Numeracy website with many resources aligned to the Australian Curriculum created by the Australian Government Department of Education. This link has three activities exploring area and perimeter including having learners design different floor plans for bumper car rides. 

Link: re(Solve)

NRICH

NRICH is a website with many Mathematical and Numeracy resources created by the University of Cambridge.

The inquiry, Twice as Big, explores what happens to area and perimeter when we enlarge shapes.

Link: NRICH

The inquiry, Inside Seven Squares, explores the area and perimeter of a growing shape.

Link: NRICH 

Teacher Advice: 

When teaching measurement concepts ensure students can distinguish between going about the measuring process and conceptually understands what they are doing when they measure. When students are exploring concepts of measuring encourage them to: 

  • Make comparisons 
  • Use models of units 
  • Make and use measuring instruments 
  • Move from informal to standard units 
  • Estimate and approximate

Adapted from: Van de Walle. J and Lovin.L, Teaching Student Centred Mathematics: Grades K-3, 2006 

Considerations and Strategies for EAL Learners 

Metric units use common morphemes to make new words (for example ‘cent’, ‘kilo’). These morphemes play an important role in helping to comprehend words and spell them. Morphological knowledge is crucial for EAL/D students, as it allows them to efficiently expand their vocabulary, through building word families.  Unpack the meaning of words (for example centi = 100, metre = to count; kilo = 1000, kilometre, kilogram, kilowatt). 

The language of comparison in English includes the use of the comparative adjective forms. These include:

  • adding ‘–er’ to one or two–syllable adjectives: ‘This square is smaller’,
  • using ‘more’ for adjectives with more than two syllables: ‘The circle is more difficult to split’,
  • adding ‘the’ and ‘–est’ to form the superlative: ‘This rectangle is the biggest,’
  • using 'the most' to express a superlative for adjectives with two or more syllables: 'That problem is the most difficult.'

Build lists and explain comparative and superlative forms of adjectives in the context of student learning.

Link: EAL or DTR