Area - What is Area? - Presentation

In a series of engaging and interactive lessons, students are introduced to the concept of area. The initial activity involves a hands-on approach where students cover the front of their maths book with sticky notes to determine how many are needed, thus revealing the book's surface area. This practical exercise lays the foundation for understanding that area refers to the amount of surface a shape covers. Further discussions prompt students to consider what area is and to compare the surface area covered by different shapes, fostering a deeper comprehension of the concept.

Subsequent activities challenge students to estimate and then verify the number of square sticky notes required to replicate given shapes, determining which has the largest or smallest surface area. Through reasoning exercises, students evaluate different methods for measuring area, such as using circles versus squares, and consider the reliability of each technique. They also explore the concept of using varying sizes of squares for measurement and deduce that larger squares cover more space, requiring fewer pieces for the same area. Independent work tasks reinforce learning, asking students to apply their understanding of area to various shapes and to justify their reasoning. Classroom discussions encourage students to think critically about practical applications of area measurement, such as finding the area of the playground, and the advantages of using shapes with perpendicular sides for calculating the area of rectilinear shapes.