Real-World Connections to Area and Perimeter

Real-World Connections to Area and Perimeter
Often, students confuse the concepts of area and perimeter and may use the area formulas and perimeter formulas interchangeably. Without building conceptual understanding, area and perimeter concepts become purely symbolic. Developing connections through concrete models and relating area and perimeter to the real world will help to stimulate student thinking and make these abstract concepts more meaningful.

In this Application, you will solve a real-world mathematical task related to area and perimeter using one or more of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice. You will then create a similar task and implement it with a group of students.

Consider the following mathematical task:

Track and Field Problem

Solve the Track and Field Problem. As you do so:

Make note of your problem-solving strategies.
Make note of your problem-solving strategies.
Reflect on how you incorporate the Standards for Mathematical Practice while problem solving.
Then, create a learning activity for students (similar to the task you solved) that incorporates the concepts of area and perimeter of two-dimensional figures in a real-world context and is cognitively demanding. Consider how to include the use of mathematical drawings or other visuals to support the learning of area and perimeter concepts, as well as other strategies to encourage the development of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

Implement the activity with a group of learners or a classroom of students. If you are not currently teaching, you may complete these assignments by working with students from another teacher’s classroom or by working with children you know. While the mathematical task may not fit directly with your current curriculum, implementing the task with students is the best way to improve and reflect upon your teaching practice. If whole-class implementation is not feasible, consider ways to implement the task with a small group of students during recess, at lunch, or before or after school.

During implementation, pay close attention to how students respond to and engage in the mathematical task. Collect data, particularly student work samples, to help you do the following:

Assess students’ mathematical thinking and solution strategies (including any misconceptions that are revealed).
Determine how well students distinguish between the concepts of area and perimeter and how the visual representations helped to support student understanding.
Evaluate students’ use of the Standards for Mathematical Practice.
Determine appropriate next steps in instruction.
Submit a written summary that includes explanations of the following:

How you solved the Track and FieldProblem. Include your mathematical thinking and reasoning, the drawing you created to support your explanation, and how you incorporated one or more Standards for Mathematical Practice during the problem-solving process.
How well students were able to distinguish between the concepts of area and perimeter as they engaged in the learning activity you created. Include an explanation of how students may have used visual representations to support their understanding.
How students demonstrated one or more of the Standards for Mathematical Practice during their problem-solving process as they engaged in the learning activity you created.
The insights you gained by analyzing student data.
How you might use these insights to address student misconceptions about area and perimeter and to inform your next steps in instruction. Make direct reference to student work samples in your explanation. As an appendix to your analysis, include the student work samples you reference. Be sure that you do not include any names on student work.
Make sure to reference the Learning Resources and format your paper in the APA style that meets the criteria of the Walden MSED Application and Reflection rubric.