Determining the starting point for instruction
The teacher has gained initial information about the students’ knowledge, skills and understanding in the Measurement Strand (Substrand: Area) from their Year 1 reports.
The students were recently assessed to determine their achievement in relation to Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 outcomes in the Area Substrand, and the starting point for instruction.
On the basis of the assessment the teacher has organised the class into three tiers for the learning experience.
- Tier 1 consists of six students, including Peter, working towards the achievement of Stage 1 outcomes for the Measurement Strand (Substrand: Area). The students are organised into two groups of three students. The students have demonstrated that they can:
- cover surfaces completely with smaller shapes
- make closed shapes
- use everyday language, eg surface, inside, outside
- describe being ‘bigger than’, ‘smaller than’, or the ‘same as’ another area
- compare areas by placing one area on top of another area.
- Tier 2 consists of 18 students, working towards the achievement of Stage 1 outcomes for the Measurement Strand (Substrand: Area). The students are organised into six groups of three students. The students have demonstrated that they can:
- cover surfaces completely with smaller shapes
- make closed shapes
- use everyday language associated with area, eg surface, inside, outside
- describe an area as being ‘bigger than’, ‘smaller than’, or the ‘same as’ another area
- compare areas by placing one area on top of another area
- compare the areas of two surfaces that cannot be moved or superimposed, eg by cutting paper to cover one surface and superimposing the paper over the second surface
- compare the areas of two similar shapes by cutting and covering
- measure area by placing identical informal units in rows or columns without gaps or overlaps.
- Tier 3 consists of one student working towards Stage 2 outcomes in the Measurement Strand (Substrand: Area). The student has demonstrated that she can:
- compare the areas of two surfaces that cannot be moved or superimposed, eg by cutting paper to cover one surface and superimposing the paper over the second surface
- compare the areas of two similar shapes by cutting and covering
- measure area by placing identical informal units in rows or columns without gaps or overlaps
- count informal units to measure area and describe the part left over
- estimate, compare and order two or more areas using informal units
- draw the spatial structure (grid) of the repeated units
- describe why an area remains constant when units are rearranged
- record area by referring to the number and type of units used, eg the area of this surface is 20 tiles.