[slooper]

Help! My students are struggling with this concept tremendously. We've already re-tested and it helped a few, but not all. Do any of you have any intervention ideas or websites that would possibly help?

[NeeCee]

Have you used manipulatives such as tile squares, pattern blocks, or geoboards to create the complex shapes prior to measuring them?

Another idea if you don't have manipulatives is to print out isometric paper to have them create and color the shapes within a shape to calculate area. I suggest both isometric dot paper, triangles, and geoboard paper. A few years ago I had the kids use pattern blocks on their paper to create any shape they wanted. They made animals, flowers, letters, etc. and then colored them. Then they calculated the area and exchanged papers to do the same. Later we used the same drawings to determine fraction and percent of the shaded areas.

These are interactive websites I have used:
http://illuminations.nctm.org/activi...il.aspx?id=125

http://www.mathplayground.com/geoboard.html

http://www.mathplayground.com/patternblocks.html

Isometric paper printables: http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/gp/i-i-12.pdf

http://www.mathsphere.co.uk/resource...ts/blueiso.pdf

http://www.mathsphere.co.uk/resource.../dot1cmiso.pdf

http://www.mathsphere.co.uk/resource...iangle_000.pdf

[slooper]

I have tried all of that = even using our floor tiles to help. I personally think it is early in the year to introduce it to 4th grade, but it was scheduled for this time in our scope and sequence. Thanks for the resources.

[kay/5]

Here is a website I use with my kids for area of irregular shapes:
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/reso...rea/index.html

The irregular shapes area in area level 2