Unit:

Area
Class:
Geometry
Period:
4th
Period length:
47 minutes
Estimated length:
3 weeks
Overview:
This unit plan lays out the structure and sequencing for a unit on area. By this grade (10th-12th),
students should already have a general understanding of what area is and how to calculate area,
given a formula. For this unit, I would like to push my students understandings of area beyond
just calculating area and really consider deeply where these formulas come from, what happens
to area when dimensions change, how to estimate area of irregular shapes, and how area can be
applied to different situations.
Standards:
G.2.2.2.1:
Estimate area, perimeter or circumference of an irregular figure.
G.2.2.2.2:
Find the measurement of a missing length given the perimeter, circumference, or area.
G.2.2.2.3:
Find the side lengths of a polygon with a given perimeter to maximize the area of the
polygon.
G.2.2.2.4:
Develop and/or use strategies to estimate the area of a compound/composite figure.
G.2.2.2.5:
Find the area of a sector of a circle.
G.2.2.3.1:
Describe how a change in the linear dimension of a figure affects its perimeter,
circumference, and area.
G.2.2.4.1:
Use area models to find probabilities.
Guiding Questions:
How can we determine the area of composite figures?
How can we use strategies for finding the area of composite figures in order to determine the
area of shapes without the use of formulas?
How can we estimate the area of irregular figures?
How does the area of a figure change if you change the dimensions?
How can we use area to estimate probabilities?
Schedule:
Day 1

Students will complete an area pre-assessment so that I can determine their current
comfort level with area and their ability to calculate areas (something they should
already know how to do)

Day 2

We will begin our unit on area by looking at the area of rectangles, parallelograms,
and composite figures

Day 3

We will use strategies for finding area of composite figures to determine the area of

triangles and intuitively derive a formula that works for any triangle
Day 4

We will use strategies for finding area of composite figures to determine the area of
trapezoids and intuitively derive a formula that works for any trapezoid

Day 5

We will use strategies for finding area of composite figures to determine the area of
kites and intuitively derive a formula that works for any kites

Day 6

We will use strategies for finding area of composite figures to determine the area of
regular polygons and intuitively derive a formula that works for any regular polygon

Day 7

We will use strategies for finding area of composite figures to determine the area of
circles and intuitively derive a formula that works for any circle

Day 8

We will use what we learned on the previous day about the area of circles to
determine the area of different pieces of circles

Day 9

Students will take a mechanics assessment to make sure they are comfortable with
calculating the area of different shapes, before moving onto the deeper applications

Day 10

We will use what we have learned about area thus far to work on some word
problems and real-world applications of area

Day 11

We will use what we have learned about area to use area models to determine
probability

Day 12

We will use what we have learned about area to explore different strategies for
estimating area of irregular figures

Day 13

We will review all that we have learned about area in preparation for the next days
assessment

Day 14

Students will take a group assessment on area

Note: Throughout each lesson we will make sure to address any guiding questions that are
relevant. For Day 3 - Day 8, we will make sure to discuss how the area of these figures change as
we change the dimensions.
Assessment:
Students will be pre-assessed on their current knowledge of area on the first day of the unit.
Students will be assessed formatively each day by completing and handing in Do Nows and Exit
Tickets. Students will also complete nightly homework assignments which will be reviewed the
following day in class. In the middle of the unit, after covering the derivations of the various area
formulae, students will take a mechanics assessment to make sure that they are comfortable
calculating area because they will need to do this accurately and precisely in order to get the
most out of the deeper applications that will come later. The last day of the unit will be a group
assessment with constructed response and multiple choice questions. For all questions on the

assessments, students will need to justify their answers by writing a few sentences about their
reasoning and process.
Accomodations:
Students will be allowed to have formula sheets available at all time. The purpose and goals of
this unit are more about deeper understandings of area rather than being able to memorize
formulas or make basic calculations. I will make myself available throughout the day if students
need any extra assistance or guidance with the topics.