Lesson Plan

April 10, 2002

Grade Level: 6^Th Grade

Objective: To provide students with a real world application in finding area and perimeter.

Timing: Ideal time to present to class would be as the introduction activity to unit on area and perimeter, after a long week (maybe of taking achievement tests), or as classes resume from winter or spring breaks.

Materials: A copy of Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! By Marilyn Burns, a worksheet for students to do while listening to the story, and plastic one inch tiles for them to follow along with (if time permits). An overhead projector would be ideal so that you can show the students what is going on while the story is occurring.

Length: Ideally one day.

Instructions:

Pass out worksheets and tiles.

Remind students to pay very close attention to what is going on.

While reading the story take a number of breaks so that students can fill out the worksheet. If an over-head projector is available, work out what is happening in the story with transparent tiles. If none is available, work it out on the board.

Occasionally, ask students how many people can be seated if there are x number of tables put together (with the table arrangement visible – four tables can seat 10 people or 8 people depending on the arrangement).

While reading the story, ask the students what they think might happen next. What do you think will happen now that they ran out of tables and not all the guests have yet to arrive?

After the story have the students fill in the remaining gaps of the table, and try to come up with a relationship between the number of people a certain table arrangement can seat.

Autograph__________________

Date signed__________________

Please listen and fill in the chart as we go along.

Table 1

Mrs. Comfort is still a little upset that there was too much commotion over the rearranging of tables during the family reunion. She decides to plan ahead for the next party. Assuming that she and Mr. Comfort invite the same people, what are the all the possible dimensions of the tables that will always seat 32 people?

~Think about it: Why are there only 8 columns instead of 16? ~

Table 2

Autograph__________________

Date signed__________________

Since it seemed that the Comforts ran out of food, Mrs. Comfort wants the next party to have just the right amount of food. So with the information in Table 2, how many tables will each dimension need in order to seat all 32 people at one table? She needs this information to see how much table space she has to fill up with food.

Table 3

Discussion/Follow up: As a follow up activity, go over the information gathered on the three tables as a class. Ask the class if they noticed any patterns (functions), generalizations. Then make the transition into the new unit.

Also, let the students share new/old information with the class, what they learned from the story. Whether or not they liked it.

To relate it to everyday life, ask them if they had ever been in a situation like the Comforts, if so how did they handle the problem. Did people end up having to stand?

Sources:

http://jeffconet.jeffco.k12.co.us/isu/math/literature/lessons/spaghetti.htm

www.mste.uiuc.edu/m2t2/