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EDUC 603 Child Development & Education

Signature Assignment

Concept/Title: Area and Real-Life Applications

Name: Racer P. Moody
Date: December 15, 2014

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Section I: Concept Analysis & Interviewee Profile

Identify the math concept
The mathematics concept to be explored throughout this project is area. While working
through this learning process, the student is expected to obtain a more complete conceptual
understanding of area and how to apply that knowledge to real world tasks. According to the
Hawaii Common Core Standards (2013), children begin to learn the concept of area as early as
third grade. At that age and through the rest of elementary school, the majority of the instruction
of area is focused on the basic shapes of squares and rectangles. Students knowledge of area
grows in sixth grade when they begin to learn the formulas to solve the area of a slightly more
complicated shape, a triangle (HCCS, 2013). In seventh grade, students are even further exposed
to area with the instruction of circles (HCCS, 2013).
In order to be able to teach the concept of area, there are certain points of information that
must be recognized first. One key point is that area differs immensely from perimeter. While
perimeter is the distance around an enclosed figure, area is the two-dimensional space inside the
enclosed figure. The area may change while the perimeter stays the same and vice versa.
Another aspect of area that must be recognized is the unit of measurement. While perimeter may
be measured in terms of inches, feet, meters, etc., area is the product of two measurements,
therefore will be in terms of square inches, square feet, square meters, etc. Other significant
pieces of information that are important to understand are the basic formulas for solving the area
of these basic shapes:
Square or Rectangle:

length x width = area

Triangle:

1/2 (base x height) = area

Circle:

x radius = area

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Another way of stating the area of a square or rectangle would be base x height = area. By
referring to the area of squares and rectangles in these terms, it is much clearer to see how this
formula relates to the area of a triangle. When visualizing a right triangle or working with an
actual right triangle cut out, one can clearly see that the triangle is indeed half the size of a square
or rectangle. This is evident by cutting out two identical right triangles and connecting them
along their hypotenuse.
Although knowing these formulas are essential to solve for area, to understand the
concept of area goes much deeper. First, in order to use these formulas, students must be able to
clearly identify the variables such as length, width, base, height, radius, and pi (). Again,
solving a problem by plugging numbers into a formula does not justify conceptual
understanding. It is important to be able to learn math through problem solving, which means
problems should be presented at the beginning of the lesson and understanding will be developed
through working on the problem (Van De Walle, Karp, & Bay-Williams, 2013). In order to
facilitate learning through problem solving, area must be applied to real life problems. Some
situations in which area can and should be applied are to figure out the square footage of a floor
plan or the amount of paint necessary for a large wall. There are many practical uses for
understanding the concept of area. The understanding of this concept is also essential for future
instruction of another concept such as volume.
Interviewee profile
Grade Level: 7th
Age: 12 years old
Language status: English
Gender: Male

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Unique information relevant to your learner & concept: The child is a 7th grade student at
Punahou School. He is a bright student with many friends. His favorite hobby is baseball which
he has been playing since he was five years old. His interest in baseball will provide
opportunities to learn about area in a real life setting.
Profile Explanation:
The learning task would be appropriate for all types of learners. Typical seventh grade
students should be learning about area and its practical uses during this year of instruction, so the
task is age appropriate for my student in particular. Given that my student is an English
speaking, American born citizen, the task will be culturally and verbally appropriate as well. My
student does not suffer from any physical, emotional, intellectual, or learning disability (that I am
aware of) so no special accommodations will need to be made.
The learning activity will use methods that will aid students both visually and
kinesthetically. My student will have the opportunity to physically walk around in a specified
area in order to provide a real-life context rather than only seeing math as formulas to be solved
on paper. This will encourage conceptual understanding with actual applications to real-world
phenomenon.
Section II: Learning/interview Task
Describe the task:
The purpose of my task is for my student to gain a deeper understanding for the concept
of area. In doing so, he will be introduced to how area can be used in real world situations. The
task itself will begin with a simple construction paper cut-out of a familiar shape:

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When viewing the shape, I will ask my student how he would solve the area of this shape. There
are no numbers included because I am not concerned with computations at this point. Rather,
this will be used more as a pre-assessment to make sure my student has the fundamental
knowledge that will be necessary to move onto the main problem. Once he has demonstrated
that he understands how to solve for this shape, I will further assess his previous knowledge on
solving area for these other simple shapes:

If he is able to demonstrate the appropriate familiarity of these shapes, then he will have all the
necessary knowledge in order to complete the learning task. With these four shapes, I will offer
him a ruler and ask him to actually solve the area and figure out which one has the greatest area.
However, if he does not possess the proper prior knowledge, then we will review the formulas
for these shapes and write them down for use during the problem solving task. Not being
completely familiar with the formulas for these shapes will not prevent him from completing the
task, although it may be a bit more challenging.
I will offer my student one final shape to pre-assess as well as a precursor to the actual
problem solving task:

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Not only should he be able to recognize that in order to solve the area for this shape, he just has
to turn the shape to the side and it is exactly the same as the square. After he has demonstrated
that he understands how to solve for this shape, I will begin a discussion with him on why he
thinks we have to learn about area. After the brief discussion, I will ask him what the shape
reminds him of, and hopefully he will recognize that it looks like a baseball diamond. If he does,
then we will begin the problem, but if not, I will provide some instructional scaffolding to get
him there. Next, the problem will be posed:
A high school is almost done building their brand new baseball stadium, but the
infield is made of all dirt right now. The last step to finish the field is to buy grass
to create the infield. The grass they want to buy is 50 cents per square foot. How
much will it cost to get enough grass for the infield?
In order for my student to solve this problem, he will first need to utilize the four-step
problem-solving process as described by Van De Walle, et al. (2013), which is to: (a) understand
the problem; (b) devise a plan; (c) carry out a plan; and (d) look back to see if his result answers
the question. By following this plan, my student will recognize that he needs to solve for the
area of the infield in terms of square footage then multiply by the price of the grass per square
foot. I anticipate that my student will jump to the immediate conclusion that the problem is very
simple: (90 feet X 90 feet) X .50 cents/square foot. If he is able to make this connection then it
shows that he is on the right track of thinking of how area relates to a baseball field. However,

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the task must continue because he will not be immediately correct. In this case, I will have him
create a visual of what an actual infield looks like. Again, I will provide instructional scaffolding
to ensure that he arrives at a picture that looks like this:

After realizing what the infield looks like, my student can again begin to devise a plan. Once he
has created his plan, I will ask him to share it with me through the use of manipulatives in the
form of square and circle cutouts. If his plan demonstrates a complete understanding of how to
solve the problem, we would then actually test his plan by taking measurements of the infield of
the baseball field across the street from his house. Upon completion of validating his problem
solving process, we will have another discussion about the practical uses area. I will ask him
what other situations in life he thinks solving area would be useful for. This final task would
provide the realization of how area can be used in real life situations.
Describe your reasoning:
This problem solving task addresses the concept of area in multiple ways. First of all, the
task ensures that the learner reviews the basic formula for the area of a square (or rectangle).
Next, the task aims to ground the math concept in everyday life by using problem solving to
show how area can relate to something completely different, like baseball. Then, the task is
taken a step further to show that just by knowing the formulas for solving the area of basic

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shapes, we can combine that knowledge to solve the area for any complex compound shape as
well. Finally, the student will learn to address area by its individual unit form in the sense that
he will understand that grass is sold per square foot.
This task is important to show students that area is more than just a number we come up
with after simply plugging known variables into a formula. Area is a very important concept to
understand because eventually as adults, we do encounter it commonly in our lives, whether it be
comparing floor plans when house shopping or knowing how much paint will be needed to paint
a big wall. The biggest complaint of high school students is that many of them do not
understand why it is relevant to learn certain things in school, especially many math concepts.
What makes this task unique is that the student will not only be applying area to realworld situations, but will also be engaging in multiplication, subtraction, measurements, and
money. Although there is only one real problem that is being posed, many smaller problems are
being addressed within the task. Instead of completing problem after problem involving simple
shapes and numbers from a textbook, this task focuses on learning a concept through a process
and ensures that the learner will completely understand the concept of area and be able to
translate it to other parts of his life.
How is this task planning to encourage
1. Active processing
The task focusses a lot on active processing. In order to solve the problem, my student
must formulate a plan of what steps need to be taken. After realizing that the answer is not
simply 90 feet X 90 feet X $.50 per square foot, metacognition will be evident. In his cognitive
components podcast, Moseley (2014) defines metacognition as thinking about the way one
thinks. At this point in the task, my student will need to reassess his thought process in order to

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come out with more logical solution to the problem. Taking physical measurements of the field
and finally multiplying the total area by the price per square foot do not require as much
thinking, however, the main bulk of the work will be the process in which he solves for the total
area of the infield. Working on the problem without using numbers at first will force the student
to focus on learning the concept rather than on computation.
2. Minimizing cognitive load
The learning task minimizes cognitive load by posing one solid straightforward question:
how much would it cost to get enough grass for the infield? The learner will not have to devote
much working memory space to decipher the question, yet will give him plenty to do in regards
to the actual concept. The task will challenge the student to figure out the total area of the infield
if it were a complete square, then further test his problem solving ability by figuring out the area
for circles and understanding what to do in order to come up with the total area. There is no
unnecessary information in the problem, yet there is enough to engage the student to formulate a
problem solving plan.
3. Direct Modeling
My student will demonstrate direct modeling when drawing the baseball diamond to scale
and using the cut outs of the pitchers mound and other circle parts. These manipulatives will be
used to display an accurate description of what needs to be measured in order to solve for the
total infield area. Because there are multiple ways to solve for the infield area, this is an
important part of the process because it will allow him to demonstrate the methods he used in
determining the area. He could decide that he wants to solve for the area of a square and then
subtract the area of the circle cut outs, or maybe he would divide the infield into four smaller
squares, or even another method that I have never seen before. This will be his chance to show a

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conceptual understanding. No numbers will be included at first because I want to see that my
student can demonstrate a complete understanding of the process and problem solving strategy
before getting to computation. Once he has successfully shown a plan to attack the problem,
then he will use direct modeling on the actual baseball field to put the plan into action.
Focusing on the learner:
This task is especially relevant to my student because it relates a math concept to his
favorite hobby of baseball. He has been playing baseball since the age of five and had probably
never thought twice that baseball and math had anything in common. Perkins (1993) describes
this as teaching for transfer, which means being able to carry over an idea from one area of
education and apply it to another area. Van De Walle et al. (2013) expand on this idea by saying
mathematics can be relevant to students and help them to make sense of the problem by bringing
in students real life experiences, (p. 50). Math concepts can be exciting to students if they can
think about them in relation to personal interests.
Physical development:
In order to successfully complete this task, the student must be able to visually see the
baseball field in order to understand which parts of the infield need to be covered with grass. He
must also have the proper motor skills to draw the field and move the appropriate cutouts to
represent the pitchers mound and baselines. Finally, once the conceptual understanding has
taken place, my student must be physically healthy enough to get up and take final measurements
of the field in order to prove his knowledge and validate that this process was successful.
Section III Assessment Plan
Brief Task Description:

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In my learning task, the student will be asked to figure out how much it will cost to buy
enough grass to cover the infield of a baseball stadium. In doing so, the student will show an
understanding for how the mathematical concept of area can be applied to real life situations.
During the learning task, my student will first demonstrate a basic understanding for the area of a
square and then will move on to more complicated tasks. The ultimate task of figuring out the
cost of the grass will require the student to solve for the area of the infield. The learner will have
to use his prior knowledge and understanding of the area of basic shapes in order to identify
different methods that he may use to solve the problem.
Low Understanding:
My interviewee would be able to compute the area of a simple square by plugging
numbers into a formula that he already knows but will be unable to apply it to the real life shape
of a baseball infield to demonstrate low understanding. When given several different shapes of
varying size and proportions, my student may confuse formulas and not understand the
difference in area between shapes as another demonstration of low understanding. For example,
he may see a triangle with a height of 8 cm and base of 4 cm and compute the area to be 8 x 4 =
32 cm instead of remembering that a triangle is the size of the rectangle. When it comes to
circles, he may not be able to grasp the idea of (pi) being a real tangible number and only see it
as a symbol that we use in math class.
Medium Understanding:
My interviewee would have a solid grasp on solving area for different shapes of varying
sizes and even be able to compare the differences in area to demonstrate medium understanding.
He may recognize that the grass of the infield of a baseball field is not simply a square and that
he will need to also solve for the area of several circles. However, he may be confused as to how

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the areas of these circles and squares relate to each other in relation to the word problem.
Another form of medium understanding would be to completely formulate a plan to solve the
problem, but be unable to relate the value of (pi) to real numbers or situations. Finally, another
example of medium understanding would be if he is able to figure out the area the shapes with
numbers, but cannot understand why the unit of area is squared. For example he may see that the
infield, from baseline to baseline is 90 x 90, which equals 8100, but does not understand that it is
8100 square feet because we are measuring feet, and there are two variables. This will show that
he does not understand how area relates to real world situations.
High Understanding:
My interviewee would demonstrate a high level of understanding by being able to
correctly calculate the area for several different shapes of varying sizes and relate them to one
another. When deciphering the final word problem, my student will be able to formulate a
logical step by step plan to solve it. The student will understand that he does not require actual
number measurements at first to make this plan. This shows a high level of understanding
because he will be able to recognize that area can be used in a variety of real life situations and is
not just limited to this one word problem. He will further demonstrate his high level of
understanding by using the cut outs as manipulatives to show how circles and squares must be
used together to solve for the infield. The highest level of understanding would be for him to
flawlessly solve the problem completely, go back and see if he could come up with other ways
that he could have solved the same problem, and then realize that this same method could be
utilized in many other situations involving area.
Phase IV Field Testing
Field Testing Experience:

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The experience of working with a student was really a mutual learning experience. It was
fun because I got to work with my cousin, and we actually got to build more of a rapport than we
already had. Many of our previous experiences together had been playing video games and
wrestling around with each other, so it was great to work with one another on a more academic
level. I approached this project with him very professionally as if he were really one of my
students and I was really one of his teachers, and he followed suit and took my project very
seriously. At the same time, the mood was very relaxed as I wanted him not to feel like he was
being tested or graded on anything. I assured him that I just wanted to help him to understand
my math concept better and he would be helping me with my project just by showing me the
process in which students think and problem solve.
Successful Scaffolding:
When working with my student on the learning task, I was surprised to see a lot of it go
exactly as planned. I began by showing him a series of shapesfirst a square, then a rectangle,
and then a triangle. He was well aware of how to solve the area of those shapes. Then I showed
him a circle in which he told me that he had not yet learned the formula for solving the area of.
This is where my first scaffolding effort was made. I asked him what he already knew about
circles, and he was able to identify the radius, diameter, and even pi (to somewhere between 10
and 15 digits). From that point, I had him write down the formula for solving the area of a circle.
Although, because we were not using actual numbers yet to compute anything, I told him that
memorizing that formula was not the most important thing at the time. I knew it was successful
because he was able to point out the difference in formulas of area and perimeter.
When we got to the official word problem, I was able to include several more successful
scaffolding questions. First off, when I showed him the cutout of the green construction paper

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diamond representing the baseball infield and asked him how he would figure out the area, he
quickly responded with, It would just be 90 feet times 90 feet, so I guess 8100. As stated in
the description of the task in section II, I anticipated that he would say this, so I was ready to
provide scaffolding questions. I did so by asking him to visualize what the infield of the baseball
field really looks like and then asked him what was missing from the simple green diamond to
make it look like a real field. He realized that there is also dirt in the infield to go along with the
grass. I then gave him brown construction paper to create the baselines, the quarter circle cuts
around the bases, and a circle to represent the pitchers mound. From there, he was able to put
together his problem solving strategy. I could see that he was starting to confuse himself with all
the steps necessary to solve the problem, so I gave him a pen and a paper and asked him to write
down his process to help him keep track of the steps.
Unsuccessful Scaffolding:
One of the parts that my student was having a hard time understanding was how to solve
the area of the four quarter circle cutouts around the bases. This was difficult for him because he
had never learned the formula for solving the area of a circle until that night. He kept thinking
that he would use pi time the radius squared and then multiply that answer by four because there
were four quarter circle cut outs. I tried to explain that because they were only quarter circle cut
outs, when you add them all up, it equals one complete circle, so we would not need to multiply
by four. Upon realizing that his knowledge of solving the area for circles was not yet mastered, I
decided to leave out some of the actual number computations and focus more on his problem
solving process.
Developmental Assessment
When comparing my students problem solving strategies to my rubric of understanding,

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I would put him at a medium to high level of understanding. I would not put him completely in
the high level yet because he will still need to develop a better understanding for the formula of
solving the area of circles. However, when analyzing his problem solving strategy, it is clear that
he was able to see exactly how he would solve the problem correctly. The steps he wrote down
on the paper were:
1. Find the height and width (from the cuts of dirt baselines, which he
understood would be less than 90 feet).
2. Multiply that height at width (to get a number to start with).
3. Find the radius of the circle (in order to find the area of the pitchers mound).
4. Find the area of the four quarter circles (around the bases).
5. Subtract the area of the circles from the number (that he figured out in step 2).
6. Divide the final area by 2 (because the cost of the grass is 50 cents per square
foot).
As evidenced by his problem solving process, he conceptually understood how the
different areas of simple shapes could be combined in order to figure out the area of a more
complex shape, the baseball diamond. In order to verify his understanding of area, I asked him
what else in real life he could use this process to figure out the area for. Coincidentally, his
parents just had the flooring in their house redone, so he was quick to respond with that. I asked
him how he would figure out how much flooring was needed and he was confident in saying he
would find the area of each room and put them all together. He could see that he would have to
figure out the area of many simple shapes in order to find the area of different rooms.
Normative Development:
I feel that my students level of understanding is completely consistent with normative

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development. His knowledge of the content is at the level that is consistent with the standards
put forth by the State of Hawaii Common Core (HCCS, 2013). He has prior knowledge of the
idea of area and is learning how to apply it to real life situations. His proposed problem solving
strategy shows evidence of advanced reasoning in mathematics. In Piagets stages of cognitive
development, the stage of being able to solve formal operations appears around age 11 or 12
(McDevitt & Ormrod, 2013). In this stage, logical reasoning processes are applied to abstract
ideas as well as concrete objects and situations, (p. 199). I feel that my student did exactly that
by taking an abstract math concept like area and applied the formulas to real-life situations and
problems.
Write up/reflection:
Concept
Strengths: One of the strengths of the concept is that it encompasses many different
aspects of area. Aside from simply giving formulas to memorize, I broke it down to identify the
necessary variables such as length, width, height, pi, etc. that are essential in solving area. I
believe the explanation of the concept was thorough and gave a complete description of what
needs to be understood in order to effectively work with area.
Areas of Improvement: Initially, I focused on the concept of area as primarily
remembering the different formulas for solving the area of different simple shapes. At first, I
had a difficult time thinking as a student with limited experience with the concept. I realized that
in order to further demonstrate conceptual understanding, it was necessary to go several steps
deeper and incorporate the units in which area is measured. Including how area differed from
perimeter in terms of the units of measurement along with the fact that area and perimeter are
independent of each other was also a way to further the demonstration of the concept.

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Task Development
Strengths: Again, a strength in this section is that the task covers a wide range of
knowledge of area. The task does not simply give the student formulas to memorize and plug
numbers in. Instead, it begins with recognizing simple shapes, moves on to comparing shapes
and their area, continues with combining shapes to form more complex shapes, and culminates
with solving a word problem to apply the knowledge of area to real life situations.
Areas of Improvement: Originally, the task skipped the steps of recognizing the different
simple shapes and comparing the areas of different shapes. I realized that this segment was
necessary in order to pre-assess that my student had the proper knowledge in order to complete
the problem solving task. It gave me more of a chance to observe my students thought process
and discover more about what and how he has already learned about area. The addition of these
beginning sequences in the task also provided for a smoother transition from basic knowledge of
area to the word problem.
Assessment
Strengths: When assessing my students level of conceptual understanding, it was
important not to simply look at how many problems he got right or wrong; rather focus on the
way he thought about the problems. My learning task gives numerous opportunities to show
multiple levels of understanding. Van De Walle, et al. (2013) describe this as providing
multiple entry and exit points, (p. 37). In math especially, many problems can be solved
correctly, but end up with the wrong answer just because of a simple computational error. My
problem focusses more on the process than on actual numbers in order to more properly assess
my student.

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Areas of Improvement: Initially, I had only listed a few ways I would be able to check
for conceptual understanding. Then I realized that there were so many different points along the
learning task that my student could demonstrate different levels of understanding, so I imagined
how many courses the task could take. From there, I was able to pinpoint different examples of
each level of understanding with exact computations that my student may come up with. This
helped me form a more complete rubric for each level of understanding.
Field Testing
Strengths: When field testing my task, I felt there were many strengths. Because each of
the three previous sections was revised along the way, I felt like I had a strong and well
organized task. The interview went very smooth from beginning to end because of this
organization. Another strength of the field testing was the readiness of my scaffolding questions.
I was unsure if I would be adequately prepared for providing proper scaffolding when the time
came, but my students answers flowed very well with the scaffolding I had prepared. The final
strength was that I was able to keep the attention and interest of my student all the way
throughout the process. He was actively engaged and even told me after the interview was
finished that he enjoyed the fact that math was geared toward something he is interested in.
Areas of Improvement: Because we only really had one opportunity to conduct the
interview, I have a hard time saying where I have already improved, but I can point out things I
would like to improve on if there were a next time. Although the interview process seemed to go
smoothly, I could tell that I had to keep referring back to my notes to help me along the way. If
there were a next time, I know that there would be less umms and pauses coming from me.
Part of it may have been nervousness because this was the first time I was conducting something
like this.

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Conceptual Adjustments/Refinements:
Based on the assessment of my student, there are a few ways in which I might consider
modifying the activity. One way would be to break up the learning activity into two different
sessions with the first session focusing on pre-assessment. The second session could be adjusted
in order to correlate with whatever level of prior knowledge on the concept the student already
has. I was lucky that my student was pretty much right on track of where he was supposed to be
in his knowledge of area for different shapes. Although the common core standards for each
grade level exist, some teachers may cover area at the beginning or the end of the school year, so
each students knowledge may very slightly.
Also, if I were to work with a different student, I would modify the activity to discuss
something more related to that students interests. It was easy to keep my student actively
engaged because he loves baseball, and the activity revolved around baseball. Another student
may like painting and decorating, so I could easily translate the word problem to painting all the
walls of a house. Other than that, I feel like the activity was very appropriate and challenging in
all aspects for my student.

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References
Hawaii State Department of Education. (2013). Hawaii common core standards for 7th grade
math. Retrieved from http://standardstoolkit.k12.hi.us/commoncore/mathematics/mathematics-grade-7-common-core-standards/
Moseley, B. (2014). Cognitive Components. [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
http://chaminade.ecollege.com
Perkins, D. (1993). Teaching for understanding. American Educator: The Professional Journal
of the American Federation of Teachers, 17(3), 8, 22-35.
Van De Walle, J.A., Karp K.S., & Bay-Williams, J.M. (2013). Elementary and middle school
mathematics: Teaching developmentally (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.