Hay MTW: 3rd Grade :: Collaborative Learning Centers Project

2. ESTIMATING AREA WITH PATTERN BLOCKS

State Goal 7: Make, use, and estimate measurements of objects, amounts, and relationships and determine tolerable levels of error.

Chicago Academic Standard: Use nonstandard units of measure (e.g. hands, feet, strips of paper, paper clips, etc..) to measure objects and distances.

Curriculum Framework Statement: Determine the area of a figure.

Math-Writing Connection: Students write a response to these two questions:

1. How many designs can you create with an area of 50? Explain your thinking.

2. Suppose you made a floor pattern with an area of 50 using all of one kind of pattern block. Of which pattern blocks would you use the most? Of which pattern blocks would you use the fewest? Explain your answer.

Activity: Students solve the following problem: Suppose the area of a green triangle equals 1. Can you create a pattern with an area of 50? Use your Pattern Blocks to create a pattern. Record your pattern on paper and explain how you determined the area of your pattern.

Materials: Pattern Blocks, paper, pencils and crayons for recording

Assessment: The assessment is based on these two questions:

1. Was the student able to create a floor design with an area of 50?

2. Was the student able to explain how he/she found the area of his floor pattern?