Measurement Session 6: Area Introduction

Session 6, Part B:
Exploring Area With a Geoboard (50 minutes)

In This Part: Subdividing Area | The Rectangle Method | Formulas | The Triangle Formula

Let's further examine the concept of area, using a geoboard. The unit of area on the geoboard is the smallest square that can be made by connecting four nails:

We will refer to this unit as 1 square unit.

On the geoboard, the unit of length is the vertical or horizontal distance between two nails. Perimeter is the distance around the outside of a shape and is measured with a unit of length.

Use the following Interactive Activity to work on the geoboard problems in Part B. For a non-interactive version, use an actual geoboard and rubber bands, or print the dot paper worksheet (PDF). Use a space enclosed by five dots both vertically and horizontally to represent a single geoboard.

This activity requires the Flash plug-in, which you can download for free from Macromedia's Web site.

Problem B1

Make the following figures and find the number of square units in the area of each: Note 2

equals 1 square unit.

equals 0.5 a square unit. Close Tip

equals 1 square unit.

equals 0.5 square unit.

Problem B2

Make the following figures:

a.	A square with an area of 4 square units
b.	An isosceles triangle with an area of 4 square units
c.	A square with an area of 2 square units (this is not a trick question!)

Next > Part B (Continued): The Rectangle Method

Session 6: Index | Notes | Solutions | Video