Year 4 Teaching Sequence summer M5 – Area and perimeter (three days)
Prerequisites:
 Know multiplication and division facts for the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 times tables (see teaching sequence 3 and oral
and mental starter bank M5)
Overview of progression:
Children are introduced to the concepts of area and perimeter. They draw a range of rectangles and find their areas in
square centimetres by counting the squares, beginning to use short cuts such as multiplying the number in each row by the
number of rows to find the area. The perimeter is found by measuring the distance round the edge of the shape and then by
doubling the width and length. They find that shapes with the same area can have different perimeters.
Note that chn are likely to have heard the term area used colloquially and so have some idea of what it is but are less likely
to have come across perimeter.
Watch out for children who having found areas measure perimeters in square centimetres because they count the squares
round the outside. They may also include squares on the outside of the corners and so come up with a number that is too
great.
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y4 Maths TS_M5 – Sum – 3days
Objectives:
 Draw rectangles, and measure and calculate their perimeters

Find the area of rectilinear shapes drawn on a square grid by counting squares
Whole class
If I measure the distance round the edge of the
whiteboard, how long do you think that distance
would be? Talk to your partner. Take a range of
estimations. We call this distance round the edge of
a shape its perimeter. I could make a piece of string
go all round the edge of the w/b then measure the
string. How else could I measure the perimeter?
Draw out measuring the width and the height. If the
w/b is a rectangle do I need to measure the width at
the top and the bottom? The height on both sides?
Now I’ve got these measurements, what do I do
next? Discuss how you could double the width and
then double the height and add the two together to
find the total perimeter, or add the width and the
height and then double.
Show a rectangle drawn on IWB squared background,
Group activities
Group of 4-5 children
Challenge chn to draw as many different
shapes as they can using six square
centimetres. They find the perimeter of
each. What are the greatest and least
perimeters that they can find?
Easier: Chn make shapes from four squares.
Paired/indiv practice
Resources
Chn draw a range of rectangles on
cm2 paper, each side being a whole
number of centimetres, labelling
each with a letter. They guess
which might have the smallest and
greatest perimeters, recording
their letters. They then find the
perimeter of each. And write it
inside each rectangle.
Harder: After some initial
practice, challenge chn to draw as
many rectangles as they can with
a perimeter of 20cm, each side a
whole number of centimetres.
 DIY metal tape
measure
 cm2 paper
If each square was a centimetre, what would the
perimeter of this rectangle be? Agree an answer
with your partner. Take feedback, asking chn
whether they counted the number of ‘centimetres’
along every side, or just two of them.
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y4 Maths TS_M5 – Sum – 3days
Show the rectangle on squared background from
yesterday. How many squares are inside this
rectangle? How many rows? And how many in each
row? This is another way of measuring the size of
this rectangle, we call this its area: it is the amount
of surface it covers. If each square measured one
centimetre by one centimetre we would call each
square a square centimetre. Show children how cm2 is
written.
Give each child a piece of cm2 paper and ask them to
draw a rectangle measuring 5cm by 4cm. What is the
area of the rectangle? Ask children to draw another
shape with an area of 20 whole squares to include
some shapes that are not rectangles. They compare
their shapes. Show some examples of nonrectangular shapes to the class. These shapes look
different but all have the same area.
Draw a variety of rectangles on a squared back
ground, each with an area of 16 square units. What is
the same about these rectangles, and what is
different? Talk to your partner. Draw out that they
have the same area but different perimeters. So if
shapes have the same area, they don't necessarily
have the same perimeter, in fact it’s possible to have
lots of shapes with the same area, but different
distances round the outside. Which do you think has
the greatest perimeter? And the least? Ask chn to
work out the perimeter of each rectangle to check.
If a farmer was trying to fence off 16 square metres
Group of 4-5 children
Give chn a selection of books of different
sizes. Which front cover do you think has
the greatest surface area? And the least.
How could we find out? Suggest drawing
round each book on cm2 paper and counting
the squares. How many square centimetres
do you think might be covered by each
book? Write down a range of estimates for
each. Chn each take a book, draw round it
on squared paper and count the squares
covered by it. Discuss what to do when
partial squares are covered, for example
only counting them if over half a square is
covered, or matching halves together to
count as whole squares.
Harder: Discuss how the length of the book
can be multiplied by its width to find the
area. Use a calculator to find the area, and
confirm by counting squares, discussing
that this will be an approximate area if
there are some partial squares.
Group of 4-5 children
Ask chn to draw a square with an area of
one square centimetre. What is its
perimeter? Record this on a table. Now
draw a square with sides of 2cm. What is
its area? How do you know? What is the
perimeter? Chn carry on drawing squares,
finding the areas and perimeters. They
discuss what patterns emerge, and also a
quick way to find the area and perimeter of
squares.
Harder: Also ask questions such as: If a
Chn draw a range of rectangles on
cm2 paper, each side being a whole
number of centimetres, labelling
each with a letter. They guess
which might have the smallest and
greatest areas, recording their
letters. They then find the area
of each. And write it inside each
rectangle.
Harder: After some initial
practice, challenge chn to draw as
many rectangles as they can with
an area of 24cm2, each side a
whole number of centimetres.
 Five books of
differing size
 cm2 paper
Chn draw different rectangles
with an area of 12cm2 on squared
paper. They find the perimeter of
each rectangle. What is the
greatest and least perimeter?
They then draw other shapes
made from 12 squares and see if
they can find shapes with other
perimeters,
Harder: Challenge chn to draw as
many rectangles as they can with
a perimeter of 28cm. They find
 cm2 paper
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y4 Maths TS_M5 – Sum – 3days
of a field for some chickens and wanted to use as
little fencing as possible, what shape do you think he
or she should make the fenced off area?
square has an area of 36cm2, what do you
think the sides will measure?
the area of each. What is the
greatest and least area?
© Original teaching sequence copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.
Y4 Maths TS_M5 – Sum – 3days