Lesson Plan Title : Finding Square Footage

Age Range:

Grade 9 through Grade 12 (High School)

Overview and Purpose:

Students will use hands-on activities to practice measuring square footage. They will have to take into account varying factors and make adjustments for them. This activity gets them out of the classroom and allows for a more informal teaching style.

Objective:

The student will be able to calculate the square footage of a given area.

Resources:

Teacher created worksheet

Tape measures

Activities:

Using a teacher created worksheet take students to different areas of the school and have them solve problems for square footage. Three examples are below.

1. Have students calculate the amount of concrete necessary to put a three foot wide sidewalk around a modular building on campus or around a common grassy area.

2. Have students calculate the amount of carpet needed to cover the cafeteria if they need to leave a 2 foot band of tile all the way around.

3. Have students calculate the amount of space needed to put a swimming pool on the property with a 3 foot deck all around.

Come back together in class and discuss any problems the students had or suggestion of things next year's class could measure.

Closure:

Being able to figure out square footage is a skill the student will use their whole lives. This lesson gives them hands-on activities to let them practice that skill. Extension activities could include measuring rooms at home or creating their own word problems for other students to solve.