Area or perimeter?: 4th grade math lesson

What this lesson shows

Fixes a mistake

Around the edge is perimeter. Covering the inside is area.

The worked example

The lesson works this one step by step: 9 by 6. Then your kid tries one like it on paper.

The steps

Ask: around or covering?
Around: perimeter, feet
Covering: area, square feet
Then do the math

Helping at home

Before any math, ask: does the story go around the edge, or cover the inside? Fence, trim, and borders go around: that is perimeter, adding the sides, in feet. Grass, carpet, and tile cover: that is area, length times width, in square feet.

If your kid gets stuck

Around the edge, or covering the inside?

Watch it with Lux

With Lux, this lesson is a narrated video and a printed page your kid works on. Then Lux helps with the same math on their own worksheet, one question at a time.

See how Lux works

Standards

Common Core 4.MD.A.3
Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and mathematical problems. For example, find the width of a rectangular room given the area of the flooring and the length, by viewing the area formula as a multiplication equation with an unknown factor.
Common Core 3.MD.D.8
Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters.

Matches a standard in all 50 states and DCSee each state's code

Alabama MA19.3.24, MA19.4.23, MA19.3.23, MA19.3.25
Alaska 4.MD.3, 3.MD.9.d, 3.MD.10
Arizona 4.MD.A.3 *, 3.MD.D.8, 3.MD.C.7.d, 3.MD.C.8
Arkansas 4.GM.7, 2.GM.7, 3.GM.7
California 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Colorado 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Connecticut 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Delaware 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
District of Columbia 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Florida MA.4.GR.2.1, MA.4.GR.2.2, MA.3.GR.2.3, MA.3.GR.2.4
Georgia 3.GSR.8.2, 4.GSR.8.3, 3.GSR.8.1
Hawaii 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Idaho 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Illinois 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Indiana 3.M.5, 4.M.4, 3.M.6
Iowa 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8, 3.MD.C.7.b
Kansas 4.MD.3, 3.MD.9
Kentucky KY.3.MD.8.c, KY.4.MD.3, KY.3.MD.8.a, KY.3.MD.8.b
Louisiana 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Maine 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Maryland 4.GR.A.3, 3.GR.C.7.c, 3.GR.C.8, 3.GR.C.9
Massachusetts 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Michigan 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Minnesota 3.3.2.2, 3.3.2.3, 4.3.2.4
Mississippi 4.MD.3, 3.MD.7.d, 3.MD.8
Missouri 3.GM.D.16, 4.GM.C.8, 3.GM.C.13, 3.GM.D.15
Montana MT.4.MD.3, MT.3.MD.7.d, MT.3.MD.8
Nebraska 4.G.3.a, 3.G.2.a
Nevada 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
New Hampshire 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
New Jersey 4.M.A.3, 3.M.C.6
New Mexico 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
New York NY-3.MD.8.b, NY-4.MD.3, NY-3.MD.7.d, NY-3.MD.8.a
North Carolina NC.4.MD.3.b, NC.4.MD.3.c, NC.3.MD.8, NC.4.MD.3.a
North Dakota 4.GM.M.5, 3.GM.M.6
Ohio 4.MD.3, 3.MD.8
Oklahoma 3.GM.2.1, 4.GM.2.2, 5.GM.2.2
Oregon 4.GM.B.6, 3.GM.D.8
Pennsylvania CC.2.4.3.A.6
Rhode Island 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
South Carolina 4.MGSR.1.1, 4.MGSR.1.2, 5.MGSR.1.1, 3.MGSR.1.2, 3.MGSR.1.3
South Dakota 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Tennessee 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Texas 111.6.b.5.C, 111.6.b.5.D, 111.7.b.4.H, 111.5.b.6.D, 111.5.b.7.B
Utah 4.MD.3, 3.MD.8
Vermont 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
Virginia 4.MG.3a, 4.MG.3b, 4.MG.3c, 4.MG.3d, 4.MG.3e, 4.MG.3f, 5.MG.2f, 5.MG.2g, 3.MG.2b.i, 3.MG.2b.ii, 3.MG.2b.iii
Washington 4.MD.A.3, 3.MD.D.8
West Virginia M.4.21, M.3.25
Wisconsin M.4.MD.A.3, M.3.MD.D.8
Wyoming 4.MD.3

Area or perimeter?