Solve problems involving counting and drawing the areas of different shapes

I can use understanding of area and counting strategies to solve problems involving area.

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Year 5

Solve problems involving counting and drawing the areas of different shapes

I can use understanding of area and counting strategies to solve problems involving area.

Download all resources

Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

The units of counting area must be the same if you want to compare the areas of different shapes.
The units of area should be squares.
Square units can be counted even if they cannot always be seen.

Keywords

Area - The measurement of a flat surface. It measures 2D space.
Rectilinear - 2D polygons composed of one or more rectangles.

Common misconception

Inaccuracy when drawing can mean pupils fail to correctly answer questions relating to drawing area.

Access to tools such as visualisers allows the teacher to model drawing lines with great accuracy, using the gridlines to guide.

Many of the tasks in Cycle 2 ask pupils to create rectilinear shapes. Pupils will be naturally inclined to draw rectangles. To add an extra layer of challenge for certain pupils, ask them to try a rectilinear shape which is not a rectangle.

Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).