Lesson Plan Middle School

Finding circumference, diameter, and radius and

Resources: www.teach-nology.com
www.mathsisfun.com
Standards: CC.7.G.4 Solve real-life and mathematical problems involving angle
measure, area, surface area, and volume. Know the formulas for the area and
circumference of a circle and use them to solve problems; give an informal
derivation of the relationship between the circumference and area of a circle.
Objectives: The student will be able to measure a circle to find the
circumference, diameter, and radius. CC.7.G.4
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Time Duration: 45 minutes
Materials': Students' desks and chairs
2 different colored balls of string
25 foot tape measure
White board and markers
Anticipatory Set: I will bring in various circular objects, different size balls,
different size coins etc. I will ask the students how they think we could find the
measurement of these objects. Various answers might be to measure it with a
string or use a measuring tape that is bendable. Then I will tell them that today
we are going to learn easier ways to measure the circumference of a circle and
we will learn about the diameter and radius.
Purpose/Overview: This activity will allow students to measure the
circumference, diameter, and radius of a circle in a hands-on way. By being able
to manipulate a circle and stretch it out the idea of circumference will be more
concrete. Students will use each other, desks, and chairs to create circles that
can be measured.

Teaching: (Input, Modeling, and Check for Understanding)

I will then have students assist me in clearing a space in the middle of the room
and have several students make a circle. I will then give them a ball of string to
pass around to the students. While the students are in a circle, they will pass the
ball of string around until it gets to the last student. Then they will cut it when it
gets back to the first student. Explain that this piece of string represents the
circumference.
Line other students across the center of the circle and explain that they represent
the diameter. Pass a different ball of string down this line of students.
Ask students where the radius is. Explain that the radius is half of the diameter.
Show them that you can accurately find the radius by folding the diameter string
in half.
Have the students stretch the circumference string out and measure it and the
diameter one. Have them divide the diameter in half to get the radius.
Repeat this exercise several times with different size circles and using different
items. If students are using their desks, they can wrap the string around the
outside of their desks to hold it in the shape of a circle. Students will enjoy
coming up with unique ways to make the circles and finding items they can use
to represent diameter.
Once the students have an idea about what these things are we will write a
working definition of these three terms. So I will instruct them to take out their
math journals so we can find a definition we all agree on.
We will discuss the definitions of circumference,
diameter, and radius.
Circumference: The distance around the edge of a
circle or any curvy shape. It is a kind of perimeter.
Diameter: A straight line going through the center of
a circle connecting two points on the circumference
Radius: The distance from the center to the edge of a
circle. It is half of the circle's diameter.
I will write these definitions on the board and have students copy them into their
math journals.

Guided Practice:
After we have written the definitions, I will divide them up into their groups and
give them a worksheet with three circles on it. They will also need a piece of
string for each group, long enough to go around each of the circles, but that does
not stretch, 1 calculator for each group, a cm ruler.
I will then model how to measure a circle on the board.
Instructions for Measuring the Circle Worksheet
Place one end of the string on the outside edge of the circle and carefully run the
rest of the string all the way along the outside edge of the circle. Mark the place
on the string that meets the opposite end of the string by pinching it with your
fingers. Lay the string out flat (still keeping your place on the string). Using a
ruler, measure the part of the string that went around the outside of the circle to
the nearest cm. If needed, I will model a few more circles of various sides and
then give them the worksheet. I will instruct them to record their results on this
page.
I will use proximity and walk around the room helping any group that is
struggling. Re-teaching where necessary.
After they have measured their three circles, we will come back together and
check the measurements then I will ask them questions about their circles.
I will then model putting one end of the string on the outside edge of the circle.
Carefully place the string all the way around the circle. (I will remind them that
this what we just found the circumference) Pinch the part of the string the meets
up with the other end of the string you first placed on the circle.
Then we will see how many times that part of the string will go from one edge of
the circle to the other, making sure to go through the center of the circle. How
many times did it go across? I will record the answer. 1. _____________
Using the centimeter side of my ruler, I will then measure the part of the string
that went around the outside of the circle and record my answer on the board.
(Circumference) 2. ________
Next, I will measure the distance across the circle making sure to go through the
center and record my answer. (Diameter) 3. __________
Then I will cut the distance across in half. What is this? (Radius) 4. __________
Finally, I will divide the answer I got on #2 by the answer you got on #3 ________
I will then have each of them do this for the other two circles (circle B and Circle
C) while I walk around and help where necessary.

After we have calculated these, I will ask them these questions:

What do you notice about all of the answers after you divided them? Answers
will vary, they are the same.
Are your answers similar to the number of times your string would go across the
circle going through the center? Answers will vary but yes
What statement could you make about the relationship between the distance
around the outside of the circle and the distance across the circle going through
the middle? Answers will vary, they are similar
What term do we use to represent the outside edge around a circle?
Circumference
What term do we use to represent the distance from one edge of a circle to the
other edge of a circle that goes through the center? Diameter
What term do we use to represent that relationship between the distance around
the outside edge of the circle and the distance across the center of the circle? Pi
or 3.14
Can you give a formula that would calculate this measurement? = C/D
Closure: I will close this lesson by talking about how we will use our new found
knowledge to learn the formula's we need to figure out the circumference,
diameter and radius of any circle.
This lesson will lead into the next math lesson, which is teaching the formulas
students will need to memorize to measure circumference, diameter, and radius
of circles.
Independent Practice: For homework, I will give them a worksheet for review.
Assessment: I will informally assess the students as I walk around while they
work in small groups.
I will formally assess them by checking and grading their homework.
Accommodations (*gifted students, * RtI students, *ESL learners)
For my RTI students I will have the definitions copied down and the circle drawn
out without the labels. Then when we go over the lesson, they will be able to fill in
the blanks.
For my ESL students I will use the same lesson plans with the definitions and
terms translated into their native language.

For my gifted students instead of the homework sheet I will have them create
circle problems for the students to use to find in centers the next day.

Literacy Integration: As a fun way to

introduce the geometry vocabulary to my
students thinking about circumference I
will read Sir Cumference and the First
Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander
King Arthur and his knights have a royal
problem, their rectangular table is too long
and their triangular table is too pointy.
Somehow, they need to sit down and
discuss the future of the kingdom. In
comes a knight named Sir Cumference,
his wife, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son
Radius and they save the day using
different strategies to solve this problem.

Circle Measurements
Circle A

Circle C

Circle B