Newspaper and 100s blocks

Newspaper and 100s blocks

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about estimation and measurement of area.
Instructions

a)
Look at the four shapes cut out of newspaper and the 100's blocks.
How many of these pieces of paper will take the same number of 100's blocks to cover them? Circle the answer you think is best.
(A)   All of them.
(B)   Three of them.
(C)   Two of them.
(D)   None of them.

b)
Why do you think that?

c)
Place the blocks on the pieces of paper, letting the children discover they all can fit the same number of blocks. Then ask:
Why is it that all the pieces of paper fit the same number of blocks when the pieces of paper are all different shapes?
Student form
Name ______________________
a)
(A)   All of them.
(B)   Three of them.
(C)   Two of them.
(D)   None of them.
 
b)
 
 
 

c)
 
 
 
 
 
Student form
Name ______________________
a)
(A)    All of them.
(B)    Three of them.
(C)    Two of them.
(D)    None of them.
 
b)
 
 
 

c)
 
 
 
 
Task administration: 

Equipment

Newspaper; scissors; 100's place value blocks.

  • Before beginning this activity you will need to measure and cut out these shapes from four double pages of a newspaper.

  • Read the instructions from this page to the students and ask them to fill in their answers on the separate form provided.
Level:
2
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Geometry and Measurement, Measurement
Key Competencies: 
Thinking
Keywords: 
area, estimation
Description of task: 
In this practical task, students decide which of four shapes have the same area, then use 100s blocks to check their answer.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can help to identify students' understanding of estimation and measurement of area.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Measurement sense, sets 3-4
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
 
a) A
b) Any 1 of:

•   They take up the same amount of space.
•   They are the same size.
•   They have the same area.
•   Explains how they could fit the blocks on to get the same answer.
c) Any 1 of:

•   They take up the same amount of space.
•   They are the same size.
•   They have the same area.

NOTE:  This could be done individually with the teacher recording the responses or as a group task with students writing down their answers.