Preview · the opening missionRead this to the class:
The school has been given enough fence to go 12 metres around a new vegetable garden. The parent council wants to grow as many vegetables as possible. One parent says, "It doesn't matter what shape we make it. Twelve metres of fence is twelve metres of fence, so the garden will be the same size." Your team's job: test whether the same fence always holds the same garden, and recommend the best shape.
Teams of three, with jobs that rotate after each rectangle: Corner Keeper (sets the cones and holds the rope at the corners), Measurer (counts the metre marks on each side), Recorder (writes the sides, the perimeter and the area).
Look inside the PDF
Sample pages, stamped “preview”. The download is the clean, full lesson.
In the full lesson PDF
7 printable pages
- Predict (5–10 min)
- Hunt (20 min)
- Reveal (10–15 min)
- Act (10 min)
- Background for the teacher
- Assessment
- Student sheet
- Worksheet: Label it
- Worksheet: Try it at home
On the student sheet
- My prediction
- Our rectangles
- What did we find?
- Draw it
- Our recommendation
- Exit ticket
- Label it
- Try it at home
US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white. The student sheet is on its own page, ready to photocopy.
Free with an account (any 3 lessons), or US$19 for all 4 lessons in this unit.
What students show by the end
- Finds perimeter
- Finds area
- Explains same perimeter, different area
From the lesson’s rubric, which scores each one as not yet, getting there or got it.
Questions teachers ask
How long does “Does the same fence always hold the same garden?” take?
50–60 min. Group size: teams of 3.
How much prep does it need?
20 minutes: cut a 13 m (43 ft) length of rope or strong string for each team and tie it into a loop with a 12 m (39 ft 4 in) edge. Measure carefully: lay it flat along metre sticks and wrap a piece of coloured tape around the rope at every metre, so each loop has 12 marks. Each team also needs 4 cones (or 4 beanbags) for corners and a piece of sidewalk chalk. Choose a flat open area of pavement or grass about 6 m by 6 m per team.
What materials do I need?
Rope or strong string, 13 m (43 ft), tied into a 12 m loop; coloured tape to mark each metre on the rope; cones, beanbags or shoes to mark corners; sidewalk chalk; metre stick. Cost: about $10 for rope and chalk if you don't have them.
Which curriculum standards does it cover?
Common Core Math (US): 3.MD.D.8 and 4.MD.A.3.
What’s in the lesson PDF?
A teacher guide that walks you through predict, hunt, reveal, act, background for the teacher and assessment, then a student sheet (“My prediction”, “Our rectangles”, “What did we find?”, “Draw it”, “Our recommendation”, “Exit ticket”, “Label it” and “Try it at home”) on its own page, ready to photocopy. It’s US Letter and prints cleanly in black and white.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. A free account includes any 3 full lessons of your choice, and this can be one of them. After that, this unit is US$19 for all 4 lessons, yours to keep, or every lesson is US$199 a year.