Unit: Geometry/Measurement
Topic: Length
Curriculum: Evergreen Curriculum
G/M-48
calculate the perimeter of
- composite figures given the lengths of the sides
- figures given partial, but sufficient, information
Website: Shodor Interactive - Perimeter Explorer
Shoder Interactive - Area Explorer
Explain how you would have your students use it.
In my internship I taught a unit on area and perimeter a Math 9 Non-semestered course. I was exposed to the frustration students were having between identifying the differences between area and perimeter . I used a lot of hands on activities but found that the students were just going through the motion and did not have to identify the differences.
This website I found contains a variety of activities for Math. Two Java Applets in particular I found that will help students are the perimeter explorer and area explorer. They both use a grid lines to identify the magnitude of one. Students are asked to find the perimeter of irregular or square objects. They use color to identify the objects on the grid.
I would use this assignment as an exploration to find perimeter and area of objects. Students would answer 5 questions from each applet. The websites also contain a feature that corrects you answers and contains them in a chart that compares the perimeters and areas of each object. What I would guide the students to notice would be that the area of objects can be the same but the perimeters can differ, and vice versa. The chart allows students to conjecture this difference.
I would use this as a exploration activity in class after i have done a formal lesson on perimeter and area. The students would be evaluated on their conjectures by answering short answer questions.
Explain how you think it would improve your students learning.
I believe students would benefit from this because they can access a variety of questions in a short time, and the grid paper helps them notice that area covers the object and perimeter is the distance around.
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