"What is a Square Unit?"

Day 1

Objectives:

To develop the concept of area.

To test prior knowledge of area.

Warm Up Activity:

Free write: (write for five minutes non stop)

What is area?

Lesson Outline:

Students will use tangrams to look at the area of a square and develop an understanding of a square unit. This will be done as a teacher led exploration by the whole class.
- For instructions on how to make tangrams from a single piece of paper go to http://forum.swarthmore.edu/trscavo/tangrams/construct.html
Students will take a pre-test on area to determine previous knowledge and mastery of the unit. This will tell the teacher exactly where to start the unit and what concepts need more attention.

Optional Activity :

As students finish their pre-test they may use the tangrams to solve puzzles. This will help build their critical thinking skills and eliminate time wasted. This can be carried out throughout the unit.