Area - Comparing Area - Presentation

The lesson on comparing areas is an engaging session where students delve deeper into the concept of area by examining and contrasting the areas of various shapes. The lesson begins with a challenge for the pupils to draw two different rectilinear shapes that share the same area, thereby applying their understanding of area in a creative context. As the lesson progresses, students are tasked with comparing rectilinear shapes using the terms 'greater than' and 'less than', and they practice this by completing sentence stems with the appropriate symbols for comparison, such as '<' or '>'.

Subsequent activities require students to sequence shapes from the largest to the smallest area, encouraging them to think critically about the spatial coverage of each shape. They are prompted to observe and discuss what makes the shapes different, such as the unique number of squares covered by a particular shape. Additionally, students are asked to draw shapes with specific area constraints, for example, a shape with a smaller area than a given shape but still greater than five squares, or a shape with an equal area to another but with a different appearance. The lesson also includes reasoning exercises where students identify patterns in how the area changes with each shape and predict future areas, fostering analytical thinking. Independent work rounds off the session, with exercises that consolidate learning and encourage pattern recognition and problem-solving skills.