Grade 6 Activity 4.

3: Areas of Trapezoids
Essential Question: How can you derive a formula for the area of a trapezoid?
Activity Objective: Students will derive the formula for the area of a trapezoid.
Previous Learning: Students have found the area of a square, rectangle, parallelogram, and
triangle.
Materials for Motivate in Teaching Edition: none
Materials for Activity Notes in Teaching Edition: none
Materials for Activity in Pupil Edition: centimeter grid paper, scissors
Pacing: 45 minutes

CC State
Standards

CC Mathematical
Practice Focus

6.G.1

MP3, MP6

1. INTRODUCTION (5 minutes)

Other Resources

Warm Up
Have students answer Start Thinking! and/or Warm Up questions. Review the answers as a class.
Review previously assigned homework, if necessary.

Dynamic Classroom
Start Thinking! and
Warm Up
Homework Check
Answer Presentation

Focus on Mathematical Practice 3

Deductive reasoning is again used to make a conjecture about a new formula, the area of a trapezoid. Students should be
able to construct an argument for deriving the formula.
Motivate from Lauries Notes in Teaching Edition
Display the optical design in the Teaching Edition. Identify the concave hexagons that fit together to make this tessellation.
Discuss the questions in the Teaching Edition that will lead students to identify trapezoids in the design. Explain that todays
activity involves exploring the area of a trapezoid.

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2. ACTIVITY 1 (15 minutes)

Other Resources

Deriving the Area Formula of a Trapezoid

In this activity, students will derive the formula for the area of a trapezoid by drawing a trapezoid on grid paper, cutting it into
pieces and rearranging them into a triangle with the same height and whose base is the sum of the trapezoids bases.

Compare and contrast trapezoids and parallelograms.

Review the dimensions of a trapezoid, paying particular attention to the parallel bases and what we call them.

Have students work in pairs to complete parts (a) (h).

Assist with finding the midpoint in part (d) if needed.

Using the diagram in the Teaching Edition for part (e), guide students to creating a triangle that has the same
height as the trapezoid and whose base is the sum of the trapezoids bases.

Guide students who are having difficulty placing the parentheses correctly when writing the formula in part (f).

Discuss the formula students wrote for the area of a trapezoid. Ask them to explain how they derived the formula.

Have students use the Alternate Approach in the Teaching Edition to verify their formula.

Dynamic Classroom
Record and Practice
Journal
Lauries Activity Notes

Focus on Mathematical Practice 3

Students should be able to construct an argument to find the area of one trapezoid. The constructed parallelogram has an
b b2 h. Half of the area of this parallelogram is the area of the trapezoid.
area of 1

3. ACTIVITY 2 (15 minutes)

Other Resources

Writing a Math Lesson

This activity has students write a lesson on finding the area of a trapezoid.

Have students work in pairs to complete the lesson plan.

When partners have finished, have them exchange their lessons with another pair of students. Everyone should
read the lesson they receive and write a critique to the authors of the lesson. They should provide feedback on
what is clear in the lesson and what can be made clearer.

Have students complete the exercises of the lesson they receive.

Dynamic Classroom
Record and Practice
Journal

Student Focus on Math Practices 6

Discuss the Math Practice question with students.

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4. Check For Understanding (5 minutes)

Other Resources

What is Your Answer?

Have students answer Questions 3 and 4 on their own. Review the answers together, with students presenting their work to
the class. For Question 4, suggest that students consider some of the popular TV shows that feature deductive reasoning
(crime investigation and medical research).

5. ASSESS (5 minutes)

Closure (as time allows)

Dynamic Classroom
Record and Practice
Journal

Other Resources
ExamView Assessment

Draw the figure in the Teaching Edition for students to consider. Explain that a diagonal of the trapezoid has been draw. Use
Think-Pair-Share to help students see that they could use the combined area of the two triangles as another way of deriving
the formula for the area of a trapezoid. This is a good way to summarize deriving the trapezoid area formula.
Homework Assignment

Practice and Problem Solving Exercises 4 6 and Fair Game Review 23 27 in the textbook

Other Resources

Differentiating the Lesson

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