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      Checking understanding of area

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can find the area of triangles, quadrilaterals and composite rectilinear shapes.

      Key learning points

      1. The formula can be used to find the area of a triangle.
      2. There can be more than one way to find the area of a trapezium.
      3. The area of composite shapes can be found by splitting into shapes whose area can be found.

      Keywords

      • Area - The area is the size of the surface and states the number of unit squares needed to completely cover that surface.

      • Trapezium - A trapezium is a quadrilateral with exactly one pair of parallel opposite sides.

      • Trapeziums/trapezia - The plural of trapezium can be referred to as trapezia or trapeziums.

      • Composite rectilinear shape - A composite rectilinear shape is a composite shape made from rectangles.

      Common misconception

      Pupils may find the area by multiplying lengths which are not perpendicular.

      Area is measured in square units. The base and height of a square are perpendicular. We multiply perpendicular lengths to make square units.

      Teacher tip

      The shapes in Task B are drawn to scale so that there is the option to explore the problem by cutting out the shapes, overlaying them on the trapezium and manipulating shapes to find alternative solutions.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      The is the size of the surface and states the number of unit squares needed to completely cover that surface.

      angle
      Correct answer: area
      length
      volume

      Q2.
      Which of these units are a measure of area?

      m
      Correct answer: m$$^2$$
      m$$^3$$

      Q3.
      The area of the rectangle is m$$^2$$.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: 12, twelve

      Q4.
      Which line segments are perpendicular to each other?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: A and B
      A and C
      B and C

      Q5.
      For which shape can the area be calculated by doing $${1}\over{2}$$ $$\times$$ base $$\times$$ perpendicular height?

      parallelogram
      rectangle
      square
      Correct answer: triangle

      Q6.
      Select the rectangle with the largest area.

      An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
      An image in a quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      The area of the rectangle is units$$^2$$.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: 30, thirty

      Q2.
      The area of the parallelogram is units$$^2$$.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: 12, twelve

      Q3.
      The area of the triangle is units$$^2$$.

      An image in a quiz
      Correct Answer: 18, eighteen

      Q4.
      A is a quadrilateral with exactly one pair of parallel opposite sides.

      parallelogram
      rectangle
      rhombus
      square
      Correct answer: trapezium

      Q5.
      The formula $$A=$$ $${1}\over{2}$$ $$\times (a + b) \times h$$ can be used to calculate area of a trapezium. Which calculation is correct for finding the area of the trapezium?

      An image in a quiz
      $${1}\over{2}$$ $$\times (5 + 6) \times 7$$
      Correct answer: $${1}\over{2}$$ $$\times (5 + 7) \times 6$$
      $${1}\over{2}$$ $$\times (6 + 7) \times 5$$

      Q6.
      This compound shape is made from a rectangle and a triangle. Its area is units$$^2$$.

      An image in a quiz
      50
      Correct answer: 65
      80
      400

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