Clip 6/11: Area and Perimeter Lesson Part 1E

Overview

Robin talks with her student groups as they continue to seek diverse rectangular representations of an area of 12 tiles. She asks one group, who had previously asked for clarification about the units, “Is it square inches? Or inches?” Robin suggests they use a tick-mark strategy that another group had used successfully.

Robin pauses the groups, asking them to look at all the different shapes and perimeters they created, asking, “What do you notice about your areas and perimeters based on what you built?” One student observes that the area is always the same amount, 12, while the perimeter is different for different shapes. Robin rephrases, saying, “The side length is changing, right?”

Teacher Commentary

Technology is a big thing that's coming in in my room. We don't use it as much because they're all at home on their tablets. So, in the classroom, I want them talking to each other. Writing with pencil and paper, even that seems like old school now. You know, because they all know how to use the computer, but they don't all know how to sit down and have a conversation and write something on a piece of paper and share it with somebody else.