Max Maths, Year 6, Work Book, Areas of compound shapes (1)

In the Max Maths Year 6 Workbook, students are presented with exercises that delve into calculating the areas of compound shapes. Practice 4 specifically focuses on breaking down complex shapes into simpler ones, such as rectangles, to determine their area. For example, one exercise instructs students to find the length of sides labelled A and B by using the given dimensions of the composite rectangles within the shape. Once these lengths are determined, the next step is to calculate the total area of the compound shape. This process encourages students to apply their understanding of area calculation for basic shapes to more intricate designs.

Another task within the same practice requires students to draw various shapes on grid paper, each with a unique challenge. They are asked to create two different shapes that share the same perimeter and colour them blue, followed by two different shapes with identical areas to be coloured yellow. Lastly, they must draw two shapes that have equivalent numerical values for their perimeter (in centimetres) and area (in square centimetres) and colour these green. This activity not only reinforces the concept of area and perimeter but also engages students' creativity and critical thinking as they explore the relationships between different geometrical properties.