Measurement Length and Perimeter - Perimeter on a Grid - Planning

In the Year 4 Autumn term lesson focusing on 'Perimeter on a Grid', students will explore the concept of perimeter using grid paper and cubes as key resources. The objective is to teach them how to calculate the perimeter of rectilinear shapes, which are shapes with sides that meet at right angles. The lesson begins with a starter activity where students recall the definition of perimeter and discuss its calculation. They are encouraged to understand the perimeter as the total length around a shape, which includes its length, width, and the distance around the outside.

During the first activity, children are given slides from a presentation and tasked with determining the perimeter of various shapes by counting the squares along the edges. This exercise helps them apply their knowledge of rectilinear shapes to find all sides, using strategies like adding individual side lengths or using multiplication for pairs of equal lengths. As the lesson progresses, students tackle more complex shapes and are prompted to draw shapes with equivalent perimeters using 1cm sticks or cubes. In the second activity, they practice drawing different shapes with the same perimeter and discuss real-life applications of perimeter knowledge. The lesson includes independent differentiated activities and concludes with a reflection on the skills used and learned, such as calculating perimeter and using multilink cubes. Students are also guided to avoid common misconceptions, like the need to have all side measurements given or mistakenly counting inside the shape rather than the lengths around it.