1. Objectives: Students will be able to use concrete materials such as tangrams to find the area of irregular shaped polygons.

2. Materials: One set of tangrams for each student, page 51 and other similar pages from Moving on with Tangrams, transparency of page 51, overhead tangrams, (or make overhead tangrams using Appendix D)

3. Key Vocabulary: tangram, tan

4. Procedures/Activities:

a. Allow students a few minutes to examine and explore the tangrams.

b. Discuss the seven shapes of the tangrams. Explain that each shape is called a tan.

c. Ask students to select the small triangle, and compare its shape and size to the other six tans. Guide students to discover that two, three, or four of the small triangles put together can be used to make the other six tans.

d. Place the transparency of page 51 on the overhead and ask how the tans can be used to cover the first polygon. Select several volunteers if necessary to try to cover the polygon.

e. After the polygon is covered, ask students how they can find the area using the small triangle as one unit. Review this process thoroughly, emphasizing that the small triangle is one unit.

5. Evaluation/Assessment: Choose similar pages from Moving On With Tangrams to copy for each students to practice find the area.

E. Lesson Five: Day Five

1. Objective: Students will be able to use tangrams to find the area of animals illustrated in the story Grandfather Tang’s Story

2. Materials: One set of tangrams for each student, pictures of the animal illustrations in the story, Grandfather Tang’s Story, Tangramables, one 8x12 sheet of colored construction paper for each student, pictures students created from Pezzetino illustrations

3. Procedures/Activities:

Follow same procedures as Day Three using illustrations from Grandfather Tang’s Story.

4. Evaluation/Assessment: Distribute additional pictures of animals from the story for students to recreate using tangrams. Use reproducible pages from Tangramables for students to create other objects and animals. Allow students to compare their creations from both stories. Discuss differences and similarities in finding the area.

F. Lesson Six: Day Six

1. Objective: Students will be able to distinguish various units of measurement for finding area.

2. Materials: Tagboard, newspaper, scissors, rulers

3. Key Vocabulary: centimeter, decimeter, meter, inch, yard, foot,

4. Procedure/Activities:

a. Demonstrate how to measure and cut a one-foot square. Make sure that all sides equal one foot.

b. Guide a discussion that helps students to understand that the square represents a region with all sides equal, and it is named by the standard unit it is measured with. Help students discover that square units come in different sizes.

c. Pair students and assist them in cutting units of one square foot, one square inch, one square centimeter, one square, decimeter, one square yard, one square meter. Keep students’ square units for Lesson Seven.

5. Evaluation/Assessment: Inspect students’ squares for accuracy.

G. Lesson Seven: Day Seven

1. Objective: Students will learn to use a variety of square units to measure the area of different objects.

2. Materials: Students’ square units cut on Day Six, small and large items that are square and/or rectangular in shape, paper, pencil

3. Procedure/Activities

a. Select a rectangular or square object such as a book, and ask students which of their square units would be the best unit to use for finding the area. Accept all answers and discuss whether answers are reasonable.

b. Ask for a volunteer to find the area of the book using the square units. Discuss findings.

c. Distribute various objects so that pairs of students from Lesson Six can find the area.

d. Assist students in finding the area of the classroom, the carpet on the floor, the counter top in the room, the blackboard, and other places using the larger square units.

e. Instruct students to record the area of each object and square unit used to measure the object.

4. Evaluation/Assessment: Discuss students’ findings, being sure to compare units used for measuring like objects.

H. Lesson Eight: Day Eight

1. Objective: Students will learn to compute area using the algorithm length x width.

2. Materials: Rulers, pencil, paper, books of various sizes

3. Procedure/Activities:

a. Discuss students’ acquired knowledge about area since Lesson One. By this time, some students will have discovered that area can be computed by multiplying length x width. Capitalize on this knowledge and the algorithm.

b. Draw regular shaped polygons on the board or overhead, and demonstrate how to measure and calculate the area.

c. Allow students to find the area of various sized books, desktops, paper, etc. for practice.

4. Evaluation/Assessment: Assign reproducible sheets and/or book pages from your math series for additional practice and evaluation.

I. Lesson Nine: Day Nine

1. Objective: Review the concept of area to answer any question, and dispel any misconceptions about the concept.

2. Procedure/Activities: Use any other math resources such as computer programs, book pages, or reproducibles that will offer students additional experiences with calculating area.

J. Lesson Ten: Day Ten

1. Evaluation/Assessment: Administer the assessment for achievement and problem solving. (Appendix E and F)

2. Standardized Test/State Test Connections: Any of the lessons from one to nine can be used to reinforce an area of weakness that students may be experiencing. The assessment for achievement and problem solving are adequate examples to use to prepare students for standardized testing.

VI. CULMINATING ACTIVITY

Offer students an optional assignment of bringing an edible item that is in the shape of a rectangle or square. Students will find the area of each edible item. For example, they may bring a large pan of brownies or cake to find the amount of icing needed to cover the top, or finding the area of Jell-O in a pan. After calculating the area, students can eat and enjoy.

VII. HANDOUTS/WORKSHEETS