Relationship Between Area and Perimeter Math Inquiry

Here’s a ready-to-go math inquiry activity for your geometry unit. Students are tasked with drawing all the rectangles they can create with a specific area (24 units squared). Then, they calculate the perimeter of each rectangle. Finally, a prompt helps them notice the relationship between area and perimeter. Shapes that are longer and thinner will have a larger perimeter than other shapes with the same area.

How to Use: Use this activity once your students have already had some practice calculating area and perimeter of rectangles. You could do a quick mini lesson about finding factors before handing out this activity, as your students need to determine the factors of 24 to complete this task (1x24, 2x12, 3x8 4x6). I let students work in pairs or small groups to complete this task as I want them talking about their math ideas!

Grades to Use With:

This math project is designed for students in grades 3-6 who are learning about area and perimeter of right-angle shapes (rectangles). In the USA, this is in Common Core Standards in the third grade and in British Columbia, Canada, it is addressed in Grade 5.

What's Included:

2 Page PDF: Student worksheet and Complete Answer Key

If you enjoy this math project, check out others in my store! I love to design engaging math activities that show students how the skills they learn in the classroom are actually extremely helpful in their everyday lives. Math is everywhere!

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