Creating Dream Houses

I am excited to share what we have been working on this week in my class.  We have been learning about area and perimeter and doing different measurement activities to go along with this.
Whenever we talk about perimeter, I tell the kids to think about building a fence around the object. Whenever we talk about area, I tell them to think about the floor space that the object would cover. These provide a visual for them to connect with.

I was lucky to come across a great free math activity from Blair Turner that I introduced to my students today. It was a big hit. The kids got to design their own dream houses. They really liked the sample one that Blair made and it caused them to become very creative with their own designs. Click on the image below to go to her TpT store and get your own copy.

Here are a few examples of their designs. We still have to calculate the area, but the designs are so motivating, that should be exciting for them to try out as well. (Note: We didn't focus on spelling, so it may be tricky to figure out some of their rooms.)

You know it is a hit when one of your most challenging students says that it is the best activity we have done in a long time.