AREA

When it comes to teaching units of measurement there are plenty of hands-on opportunities to get students more enthusiastic about maths. It is always easier to teach things with practical applications, especially when it comes to younger students.

• When teaching kids about area, grid paper is your new best friend. Students can draw pictures and calculate the area covered. Having students write their name in block letters then calculate the area is another fun grid paper exercise.
• Grid paper can also be used to teach kids about enlarging and reducing shapes to scale. This is always a good area exercise because the shape used dictates the complexity of the scaling; regular polygons are easier than irregular.
• Work together as a class to discover the area of the classroom. This could be a little tricky depending on the layout of the room. If it is too difficult, students can determine the area of objects in the room.
• The units of measurement used for area in the United States are different to the units we use in Australia. How different are they? Teaching kids to convert between the different systems is a good way to challenge them.
• Student could investigate the area of famous places. What is the area of the Vatican? What is the combined surface area of the great pyramids of Giza? Can you figure our the area of Area 51?
• Most two-dimensional maps warp the size and shape of countries when they flatten them out. Have students research and compare the area of different countries. How many times could you fit the United Kingdom into Australia? Which continent had the biggest by area?