Learning experiences and assessment opportunities

Cover and Count (adapted from Mathematics K–6 Sample Units of Work, p 70)

Part A
The teacher presents students with a range of informal units (eg envelopes, tiles, sheets of newspaper) to cover a given shape or area

• the teacher provides Peter with a scaffold of instructional steps to complete the learning experience recorded on his MP3 player. After listening to each instructional step, Peter explains in his own words what he is to do

Possible questions include:

• Which informal units are the best for covering (eg a classroom table, a photograph, a book)
• Does the size of the given shape to be covered affect your choice of unit? Why?
• Why are some informal units better than others for covering?

Students select an informal unit to cover the given shape or area. They estimate and then count and record the number of informal units used

• The teacher re-phrases questions using simplified language so that Peter can readily interpret the questions
• Peter’s group could benefit from additional teacher modelling and guided practice, eg ‘We want to cover the classroom table. What informal unit should we use?’

Part B
Students repeat the activity using areas of different sizes and orientations

Students compare the size of the areas, eg ‘the area of the table is bigger than the area of the book’. They reflect on their choice of a particular informal unit to measure the areas of the shapes

• the teacher encourages Peter to combine a sequence of steps for Part B
  

2

Part A
Students complete Part A of the Tier 1 learning experience, arranging the units in rows and columns. They describe and record the area in terms of the number of rows and columns and draw the spatial structure (grid) of the repeated units

Part B
Students rearrange the units used in Part A to cover the area. They describe and record the area in terms of the number of rows and columns and draw the spatial structure (grid) of the repeated units

Students reflect on why the area remains constant when units are rearranged

3

Part A
The student uses tiles of area one square centimetre to measure the areas of given shapes and records the results

The student compares the areas of shapes using square centimetres

Part B
The student makes a device for overlaying using square centimetres. The student uses the overlay to measure and record the areas of the given shapes in Part A

The student reflects on the efficiency of the strategies used to measure area in Part A and Part B