Planning and Activities
Day 1 Teaching
Show a picture of two ponds. Which pond has the greater area? Model counting all the whole squares in one pond, then also count any squares that have half or more shaded. Ignore squares that have less than half shaded. Why is this a valid strategy for estimating the area? Children draw a rectangle with an area of 24cm² then calculate its perimeter. Challenge children to draw a ‘rectilinear’ shape with an area of 24cm², explaining that a rectilinear shape is one made out of rectangles, e.g. an ‘L’ or ‘T’ shape. They find its perimeter. Share some of their shapes. End by creating today’s ‘Top Tip for Tests’.
-- Estimate areas of irregular ‘ponds’ by counting squares. Calculate area and perimeter of rectangles and rectilinear shapes.
-- Draw rectangles and rectilinear shapes with a given area; calculate their perimeters.
Day 2 Teaching
Show a cuboid (3 × 4 × 3) made from 36 centimetre cubes. Observe how many cubes are in each layer, how many layers, and so how many cubes are in the whole cuboid. Remind children how we can use a formula - length × width × height, or l × w × h for short, to find the volume: the amount of space taken up by the shape. Create today’s ‘Top Tip for Tests’. Sketch a 6 × 4 × 5 cuboid, labelling each side in metres. Children calculate its volume in m³.
-- Sketch cuboids; calculate their volumes. Calculate the length of a missing edge in a cuboid of known volume.
-- Investigate the different cuboids that can be made with a volume of 48cm³.