Reply To: Lesson 1 – Which Is Bigger? – Discussion

[Merrillee Reboullet]

In Grade 5 we spend a lot of time talking about areas of rectangles especially, often comparing it to their perimeter. Interestingly, we need to use both area models as well as linear models to complete these tasks. Students often get these mixed up, or have trouble deciding what they need to calculate when problem solving. This video demonstrates that students need a strong understanding of both ideas individually to be able to choose what to measure as well as then how. If they are unsure as to what needs measuring, knowing how becomes even trickier. What I wonder is do students need to master linear measurement before understanding the concept of area, or do the two go together?