Area of Triangles, Parallelograms & Trapezoids: Middle…

About this resource

What's inside this resource

Using the JIGSAW grouping strategy, your students can master the geometric formulas for the area of triangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids.

Jigsaw is a great way to encourage your students to work collaboratively and take control of their own learning. Students become experts at one skill, teach it to others, and also learn from their peers. This lesson uses the jigsaw strategy and an inquiry approach to help students understand the explanation for three area formulae.

Teacher Instructions:

Print two-page handouts (a third with each page 1, and all with the same page 2).
Split your class into three groups.
Each group is asked to master finding the area of one shape.
Students collaborate, using the grid, to prove/explain the formula.
THEN JIGSAW: Make trios with one expert from each group.
The three students teach each other about each formula.

This is a great lesson to reinforce the learning in a geometry unit, or it could be used an initial inquiry before you teach the formulas.

Grades to Use With:

This lesson is specifically designed for students in grade 6 and meets the following standard:

Common Core Standard: 6th Grade Geometry: Find the area of triangles and special quadrilaterals

British Columbia, Canada: Learning Standard Grade 6 Math: Determine the Area of Triangles, Parallelograms, and Trapezoids

However, it could also work with slightly older or younger students depending on split classes or your area's learning standards.

What's Included: 5-Page PDF: Ready to Print and Use

Title Page/Teacher Instructions
3 Unique Worksheets: One for each JIGSAW Group
A final worksheet you give to every student

If you enjoy this Grade 6 Math Lesson, check out some others from my store: Grace Under Pressure

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Students derive and explain the area formula for one shape (triangle, parallelogram, or trapezoid) using diagrams, numbers, and words.
Students teach their derived formula to two peers who each mastered a different shape, and in turn learn the other two formulas from them.
Students record and retain all three area formulas (triangle, parallelogram, trapezoid) on a shared final page.

Teaching tips

Follow the jigsaw structure exactly as instructed on page 1: split the class into three formula groups first, then regroup into trios with one expert from each group, rather than mixing the two steps.
Have students keep their expert-group worksheet (pages 2-4) on hand during the trio teaching phase, since it holds the diagrams and explanation they need to teach their formula to peers.

Skills covered

Formula derivation — each expert group uses diagrams and written explanation to prove why their shape's area formula works, rather than being given the formula directly.
Peer teaching — students explain their derived formula to two classmates and must understand it well enough to teach it clearly.
Cross-shape synthesis — the final shared page (page 5) has each student record all three formulas after learning them from peers, consolidating the full formula set.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How does the jigsaw grouping work?

The class splits into three groups, each mastering one shape's area formula using their own two-page handout, then regroups into trios with one expert from each group so students teach each other all three formulas.

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Curriculum

Standards, concepts & topics

Standards

6.G.A.1 — Find the area of right triangles, other triangles, special quadrilaterals, and polygons by composing into rectangles or decomposing into triangles and other shapes; apply these techniques in the context of solving real-world and mathematical problems.

Core concepts

area of a triangle
area of a parallelogram
area of a trapezoid

Topics

jigsaw hands-on math trapezoid area triangle parallelogram inquiry collaboration geometry measurement triangles cooperative learning

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Area of Triangles, Parallelograms & Trapezoids: Middle School Geometry

What's inside this resource