Perimeter and Area - Area of Irregular Shapes - Worksheet

The educational resource offers a comprehensive approach to teaching Year 6 students how to calculate the area of irregular shapes. The National Curriculum objective is to calculate and compare the area of rectangles, including squares, and to estimate the area of irregular shapes using standard units such as centimetres and metres. To facilitate this learning, differentiated worksheets and teaching slides are provided. The lesson equips children with the skills to estimate areas by counting full and partial squares within irregular shapes and to use their understanding of fractions to determine the area covered by these shapes. A systematic approach and annotation are encouraged to ensure precision and to prevent double-counting.

Students are prompted to engage with key questions that challenge them to identify whole and partial squares, combine partial squares to make whole ones, and understand the concept of approximation. The worksheets cater to varying degrees of complexity, starting with simple irregular shapes on a 1cm square grid, progressing to more complex shapes, and eventually to shapes on a 2cm square grid. The lesson also includes a creative reasoning and problem-solving activity where students design a 'Pirate Island' using given approximate areas for different features such as a lake, forests, and mountains, with each square on the grid representing a specific area. This task not only reinforces their understanding of area but also allows for imaginative engagement with the concept.