Area and perimeter has the ability to leave our students stumped every single year. This year we won’t let it happen!
As individual concepts and in their simplest forms, the majority of students feel comfortable (although there is a tendency to confuse the two!). It is when the children are faced with calculating the area or perimeter of a compound shape that they struggle. At 11PlusLeap, we’ve found that the most common error has been in the calculation of measurements that have been intentionally omitted.
To help with this, we have a handy little trick for multiplying when there is a decimal as this seems to be the most common hurdle! Multiplying whole numbers is far easier so we simply remove the decimal point prior to calculating.
For example:
3.5 x 4
Remove the decimal point and multiply 35 x 4 (140)
Add the decimal point back in (14.0)
Or:
Use the doubling & halving technique to make the calculation simpler
3.5 x 4 is equal to 7 x 2 (14)
It doesn’t always have to be as complicated as it seems! We hope this helps and, as always, we’ve attached a little exercise for your child to practice area and perimeter. We’ve also attached another exercise below as a fun little word quiz!
