Navigating through Measurement in Grades 3 – 5, NCTM, 2005

1

Name: ______________________________

Imagine that you are designing a rectangular garden. Also suppose that,

ƒ

you want to close your garden with 30 feet of wire fencing so that animals

won’t eat your plants;

ƒ

you want to use all 30 feet of your fencing, without any gaps or overlaps;

and

ƒ

your fencing comes in one-foot sections that you can’t split into fractional

parts.

Determine all the different ways in which you can arrange the 30 feet of fencing

around your garden. Be sure to list the length, width, perimeter, and area of

each arrangement.

1. Complete the chart

FENCE

LENGTH

(Feet)

WIDTH

(Feet)

PERIMETER

(Feet)

AREA

(Square Feet)

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

2. What does

area

mean?

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Navigating through Measurement in Grades 3 – 5, NCTM, 2005

2

Name: ______________________________

3. What does

perimeter

mean?

4. In the space below, use words, pictures, or numbers to describe how you

would find the perimeter of a rectangle of any size.

5. Do all the possible gardens that use the 30 feet of wire fencing have the same

perimeter? _____________ Why, or why not?

6. Do all the possible gardens that use the 30 feet of wire fencing have the same

area? ______________ Why, or why not?