Lesson Plan - Color Tiles

In this lesson students will use the color tiles to continue their exploration of perimeter and area. This lesson will be used with my after school tutoring group of fourth graders. The group was designed to give the students who either did not pass or just barely passed the NJ ASK 3. I gave a LEARNIA assessment test at the beginning of the tutoring sessions and found that perimeter and area were weaknesses for the group. This activity will help to reinforce these concepts.

Lesson Plan - Color Tiles
This lesson is based on: "Changing Areas" Grades 3-4

Anticipatory Set:
Complete/Review Do Now and homework

Learning Expectations:
* measure to find the perimeter of a shape
*develop the understanding that figures with the same perimeter can have different areas

Activities:
* Display this shape made from Color Tiles of one color. Have students copy it. Show students how to move the edge of another Color Tile around the shape to measure its perimeter. Have a volunteer give the perimeter. Confirm that the perimeter may be expressed as 10 units or 10 inches. Have another volunteer give the area. Confirm that the area may be expressed as 4 square units or 4 square inches. Ask students to use four more Color Tiles to make a different shape in which each tile touches at least one other tile along a complete side. Have students find the perimeter and the area of their shape and share the results.
~~How many different Color Tile shapes can you make that have the same perimeter?
• Work with a partner. Use 3 to 8 Color Tiles to make a shape. Each tile in the shape must touch at least 1 other tile along a complete side.
• Record your shape.
• Find the perimeter of your shape and write it above the recording.
• Now use Color Tiles to make as many different shapes as you can that have the same perimeter. Record each shape and its area.
Thinking and Sharing
After you made your first shape, how did you go about making different shapes with the same perimeter?
Do you see any patterns among your shapes? Explain.
Do you notice a relationship between shapes with the same perimeter and the areas of those shapes? Explain.

Assessments:
* teacher observations, student-centered discussion, color tile shapes

Materials:
* color tiles, color tile grid paper

Tech Infusion:
Promethean board - flipchart, laptops

Accomodations/Modifications:
* teacher designed groups
* differentiated assignments/activities (centers to reach all levels)
* extended time-classwork/assessments(when needed)
* restructured homework assignments for both above level and below level students
* use of manipulatives/graphic organizers
* extension activities/alternative assignments
* organizational strategies - notebooks/book boxes/folder systems
* cloze-notes/study sheets/practice sheets for further reinforcement
* modified assessments - M/C, SCR, ECR, O-E
* preferential seating
* seating near positive role model
* encouraging independence/student initiative
* includes a rich variety of resources, media ideas, methods and tasks
* proximity to teacher
* personalized monitoring tools (checklists, goal sheets, thumbs up/down level understanding monitors)


Homework: Tell students to imagine that a zoo needs help designing a play area for monkeys. Students can help by making a design with a perimeter of 36 units (or yards) of fencing. Direct students to use Color Tiles to make their designs. Then have them record the design that gives the monkeys the most room to play. Students can write a note to the zoo telling why their design would make a good play area for monkeys.

Enrichment: Challenge students to build two Color Tile shapes, one with a perimeter of 20 units (or inches) and having the least possible area and the other with the same perimeter and having the greatest possible area.