Find The Perimeter: Real Life

Objects
Third Grade Math

This lesson on perimeter will let your students walk around the class to see the border, use a measuring tape to
measure the walls in their classroom, and enable them to understand how math is related to real life!

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to find the perimeter of various shapes.

Materials and preparation Key terms

Board markers perimeter

Class set of the Geometry Basics: Perimeter
worksheet
Class set of the Let's Go Around worksheet
Class set of the Presenting Perimeter worksheet
Measuring tapes ( one per group)
Timer
White paper
Blocks
Textbooks from the classroom
Rulers

Attachments

Geometry: Perimeter (PDF)

Let's Go Around (PDF)
Presenting Perimeter (PDF)
Geometry Basics: Perimeter (PDF)
Presenting Perimeter (PDF)

Introduction (5 minutes)

Ask your students if they know what the word perimeter means.
Remind them that perimeter is the length of the border of a shape.
Ask your students to make a line and walk around the classroom, touching the walls.
Explain to your students that the walls are the border of the classroom.
Tell them that if they wanted to find the perimeter of the classroom, they would measure the length of
the walls and add them.
EL

Beginning: Provide student-friendly definitions and images of the following words: perimeter, length, border.

Intermediate: Ask students to turn and talk to a partner to explain the process of finding perimeter in their
own words. Encourage them to use words and pictures in their explanation.

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling (8 minutes)

Draw a rectangle on the board.

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 Put the measurement of the sides of the rectangle next to the sides.
Invite a student to come to the board and find the perimeter.
Repeat the above bullets for a square and a triangle.
EL

Beginning: Have students talk to a supportive peer or one with the same home language (L1) about how to
find the perimeter.

Intermediate: Provide sentence stems with time order words for students to use as they explain their process,
such as:

First, I ____.
Next, I ____.
Then, I ____.

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

Ask your students to complete the Geometry Basics: Perimeter worksheet with a partner.
Go over the worksheet with your students as a class.
EL

Beginning: Invite students to work in a small, teacher-led group. Guide them through the step-by-step process
of finding perimeter, and then ask them to explain how they know their answers are correct.

Intermediate: Allow students to utilize reference materials in their L1 or English for any unfamiliar words in the
word problem.

Independent working time (15 minutes)

Instruct your students to complete the Presenting Perimeter worksheet.

Go over the worksheet with your students as a class.
EL

Beginning: Allow students to work with a partner. Instruct them to discuss their process.

Give students a word bank of key terms (perimeter, length, add, sides) to use when discussing the
answers.

Intermediate: Provide a sentence frame to support student explanations. For example, "The perimeter is ____,
and I got that answer by ____."

Related books and/or media

Find interactive books for each child’s level.

Differentiation

Enrichment: Ask your students to create a drawing with polygons such as rectangles, squares, pentagons,
hexagons, etc. Ask your students to use a ruler to measure the sides in centimeters. After that, ask your
students to find the perimeter of their pictures. Instruct your students to find the perimeter of each shape in the
picture separately first. After that, have them add the perimeter of each shape to find the perimeter of the
entire picture.

Support: Instruct your students to get a textbook. Ask your students to cover the border in blocks. Explain to
your students that they have to add the sides of the book to find the perimeter. Ask them to find the perimeter
of the book by counting the blocks on each side and adding them. After that, ask one student at a time to create
a shape using blocks. Ask the other students to find the perimeter of that shape. Repeat this until your students

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are comfortable finding the perimeter.

Assessment (7 minutes)

Ask your students to complete the Let's Go Around worksheet.

EL

Beginning: Invite students to complete the assessment in a small, teacher-led group.

Intermediate: Ask students to repeat instructions for how to complete the worksheet.

Review and closing (5 minutes)

Ask students to help you make a plan for figuring out how much border you need to cover a bulletin
board in the classroom. Have them turn and talk to a partner, and instruct them to write down three
steps that you should follow.
Have students share out their plans, and collect student answers to create a list of three steps that you
could follow to find the perimeter of an area in the classroom.
Remind students that finding the perimeter is an important mathematical skill in which you find the
length of the sides of a shape.
EL

Beginning: Have students talk to a supportive peer or one with the same L1 to make a plan for finding the
perimeter.

Intermediate: Provide a word bank of key terms, as well as sentence stems, to support student conversation
with their partners.

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 Geometry: Perimeter
The perimeter of a polygon is equal
to the distance around it.
2 feet
4 feet 4 feet
2 feet
2 feet 2 feet
+ 4 feet
4 feet 12 feet

3 in
5 cm 5 cm
3 in 3 in 2 mm

2 mm 2 mm 5 cm 5 cm
3 in 3 in

3 in 2 mm 5 cm
perimeter = perimeter = perimeter =

3m

2m 10 yards
5 yards
3m 4m
1m
7m 8 yards
perimeter = perimeter =

a) The football field at the park down the street is in the

shape of a rectangle. Two sides measure 4 km, and
the other two sides measure 2 km. What is the total
perimeter of the football field?

b) The gazebo in Emily’s backyard is in the shape of an

octagon. Each side of the octagon measures 4 feet.
What is the total perimeter of the gazebo?

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 example

8 in. 8 in.
The perimeter is the distance
around a shape. Figure out the
perimeter by adding the length 8 in.
8 + 8 + 8 = 24 in.
of all the sides.

Write the perimeter below each geometric shape.

4 in.

4 in. 4 in. 8 ft.

4 in. 4 in.

4 in. 4 in.

4 in.

18 ft. 18 ft.
6 ft.

6 ft. 6 ft.

6 ft. 8 ft.

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 example

8 in. 8 in.
The perimeter is the distance
around a shape. Figure out the
perimeter by adding the length 8 in.
8 + 8 + 8 = 24 in.
of all the sides.

Write the perimeter below each geometric shape.

4 in.

4 in. 4 in. 8 ft.

4 in. 4 in.

4 in. 4 in.

4 in.
32 in.
18 ft. 18 ft.
6 ft.

6 ft. 6 ft.

6 ft. 8 ft.
24 ft. 52 ft.
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 Name Date

Presenting Perimeter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Perimeter To find the perimeter:
The distance around a figure. Add the length of each side together.
2 in.
1 in. 1 in.

2 in.
Perimiter = 1 in. + 1 in. + 2 in. + 2 in. = 6 in.

Add the lengths of the sides and then write down the perimeter.
1. 2 in.
3 in.
2 in. 2 in. 4 in.
4 in.
2 in. 2 in.
2 in. 2 in. 4 in.

2. 3 in. 3 in.
4 in. 1 in. 1 in.
2 in. 2 in. 1 in. 1 in.
3 in. 3 in. 2 in. 2 in. 1 in. 1 in.
3 in. 4 in. 1 in.

3. 5 in. 5 in. 7 in. 7 in. 8 in.

7 in. 1 in.
5 in. 5 in. 3 in.
7 in. 7 in.
7 in.
10 in. 7 in.

4. 3 in. 3 in.
2 in.
1 in.
2 in.
5 in.
3 in. 3 in. 5 in. 5 in.
2 in. 2 in.
3 in. 3 in. 1 in. 1 in. 5 in. 5 in.
3 in. 3 in. 2 in. 2 in.
3 in. 3 in. 5 in. 5 in.
1 in. 5 in.
2 in. 2 in.

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2013 - 2014
 Name Date

Presenting Perimeter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Perimeter To find the perimeter:
The distance around a figure. Add the length of each side together.
2 in.
1 in. 1 in.

2 in.
Perimiter = 1 in. + 1 in. + 2 in. + 2 in. = 6 in.

Add the lengths of the sides and then write down the perimeter.
1. 2 in.
3 in.
2 in. 2 in. 4 in.
4 in.
2 in. 2 in.
2 in. 2 in. 4 in.
8 in. 9 in. 12 in.

2. 3 in. 3 in.
4 in. 1 in. 1 in.
2 in. 2 in. 1 in. 1 in.
3 in. 3 in. 2 in. 2 in. 1 in. 1 in.
3 in. 4 in. 1 in.

15 in. 16 in. 7 in.

3. 5 in. 5 in. 7 in. 7 in. 8 in.

7 in. 1 in.
5 in. 5 in. 3 in.
7 in. 7 in.
7 in.
10 in. 7 in.

30 in. 42 in. 19 in.

4. 3 in. 3 in.
2 in.
1 in.
2 in.
5 in.
3 in. 3 in. 5 in. 5 in.
2 in. 2 in.
3 in. 3 in. 1 in. 1 in. 5 in. 5 in.
3 in. 3 in. 2 in. 2 in.
3 in. 3 in. 5 in. 5 in.
1 in. 5 in.
2 in. 2 in.
30 in. 20 in. 40 in.
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 .

. .

. .

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 Name Date

Presenting Perimeter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Perimeter perimeter:
Add the length of each side together.
2 in.
1 in. 1 in.

2 in.
Perimiter = 1 in. + 1 in. + 2 in. + 2 in. = 6 in.

Add the lengths of the sides and then write down the perimeter.
1. 2 in.
3 in.
2 in. 2 in. 4 in.
4 in.
2 in. 2 in.
2 in. 2 in. 4 in.

2. 3 in. 3 in.
4 in. 1 in. 1 in.
2 in. 2 in. 1 in. 1 in.
3 in. 3 in. 2 in. 2 in. 1 in. 1 in.
3 in. 4 in. 1 in.

3. 5 in. 5 in. 7 in. 7 in. 8 in.

7 in. 1 in.
5 in. 5 in. 3 in.
7 in. 7 in.
7 in.
10 in. 7 in.

4. 3 in. 3 in.
2 in.
1 in.
2 in.
5 in.
3 in. 3 in. 5 in. 5 in.
2 in. 2 in.
3 in. 3 in. 1 in. 1 in. 5 in. 5 in.
3 in. 3 in. 2 in. 2 in.
3 in. 3 in. 5 in. 5 in.
1 in. 5 in.
2 in. 2 in.

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