Lesson Plan

1. Title/Topic/Grade level: I Spy With my Little Eye, Area and Perimeter, Area and perimeter,
4th grade
2. Lesson Essential Questions:
How can we find the area of a square or rectangle?
How can we find the perimeter of a square or rectangle?
3. Standards:
CCSS. MATH. CONTENT.4. MD. A. 3. Solving problems involving measurements
and conversion of measurements
o Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and
mathematical problems
4. A: Learning objectives and assessments
Find the area and perimeter of square and rectangular objects using a ruler
B: Assessments:
Objectives

Assessments

SWBAT search for 4 square or

rectangular objects in the classroom
and discover the area and perimeter
of each object using a ruler

Students will be given clues to find square and

rectangular objects in the classroom. Students must
measure the objects and record the length and width of
the object and calculate the area and perimeter.

5. Materials:
White board
Dry erase markers
I SPY cards (56-4 per student)
Rulers (15)
Worksheet (15)
Pencil
6. Pre-Lesson Assignments and/or Prior Knowledge:
Students know how to use a ruler to measure objects and how to round up or down to the
nearest inch.
Students know the formula and how to calculate area
Students know how to calculate the perimeter of an object
7. Lesson Beginning:
Draw a picture of a square on the board. Label one side with 3 inches.
o Ask students if they are able to tell you the shape of the object.

What do we know about squares?

o Ask students if they can find the length of the other sides of the object from just
the one number they were given. (Square=All sides equal 3 inches)
o Ask students if they know what the distance around the outside of the object is
called (Perimeter). Ask students if they know how find the Perimeter of an object.
Perimeter = Side + Side + Side + Side
Perimeter- 3+3+3+3 = 12 inches
o Ask students if they know what the measure of space inside an object is called
(Area). Ask students if they know how to find the Area of an object.
Area = Length x Width
Area- 3 x 3 = 9 inches squared
Remind students that the answer for area is always in inches squared
Next, erase the square and draw a rectangle on the board with the length being 5 inches
and the width being 3 inches. Ask students if they know what shape it is. Find the
Perimeter and Area of the rectangle.
o Perimeter- 3+3+5+5 = 16 inches
o Area- 3 x 5 = 15 inches squared

8. Instructional Plan:
Complete the introductory activity listed above.
Explain to students that today they are going to be detectives. It is their job to find the
missing objects from the clues given and calculate the perimeter and area.
Each student will be given a ruler. You will explain that they will be using the ruler to
measure the length and width of objects that they find.
o On the board, rewrite the Perimeter and Area formula for students to reference.
o You will have a book, and demonstrate to students how they should measure their
objects. You will measure the length and then the width, writing the
measurements on the board. Tell the students that they will round their
measurements to the nearest inch.
Less than inch, round down
More than inch, round up
o You will find the perimeter and area for your object, solving the problems on the
board
As a class, you will do an example together of how you will find your clues. You will say,
I SPY...A book that we have been reading as a class.
o Students should say On My Honor
o With their ruler, have students find the length of the book together and write it on
the board
Length: 8
o With their ruler, have students find the width of the book together and write it on
the board
Width: 5
o In their notebooks, give students 5 minutes to calculate the perimeter and area of
their book. Discuss answers as a class.

Perimeter- 5+5+8+8 = 26
Area- 5 x 8 = 40
Hand out worksheets, and give each student four I SPY Cards.
o Tell students that they will have 10 minutes to walk around the room and find
their objects and measure the length and width (to the nearest whole inch).
o After they have found and measured there four objects, they need to find Ms.
Magner or Ms. Sheppard to make sure that the objects they found were the correct
ones. They will then go back to their seats and calculate the perimeter and area,
showing all work.
o After their calculations are done and checked by a teacher, they will draw and
color a picture of their objects in each box.
Once they have completed their worksheet, they will glue their final copies on
construction paper. If they complete that, they can go to the Im Done Jar and pick an
activity to do.
Differentiation: In order to meet the needs of all our students, we have done a Direct
Instruction Model (I do, You do, We do). All of our students will have plenty of
reinforcement with our topic and can practice before independently doing work. Our I
SPY cards have easy and hard objects to find on them. We have assigned the easier cards
to students who are struggling with this topic, and more challenging ones to those who
are doing well.

Class Management: Students will be staying in their desks for the first half of the lesson.
It will be clearly stated that when they get their rulers, they are for measuring only and
they should not be playing with them. All directions for the activity will be given
beforehand, giving specific times that they will get to complete each part of the activity.
They will be given ten minutes to walk around the room to find their objects. There is the
same object for only two students, so there will not be a group of students crowded
around one object. When we need to call on students to answer questions, we will use the
popsicle sticks with their names on it to chose which student will answer.

Transitions: Begin with the class in their seats and their attention directed towards the
front board. After reviewing area and perimeter with the class and modeling what you
would like them to do distribute the worksheet and four I Spy cards to each of them.
Explain that they are going to be detectives and will search around the room. Once they
find their objects and have their measurements checked by a teacher they will be directed
back to their seats.

9. Closure: Three students will be chosen to Report Out. They will come to the front of the
room, share one object they found, along with how they found the Perimeter and Area, and the
picture they drew.