New
New
Year 6
Explain how to calculate the area of a parallelogram
I can recall and explain how to calculate the area of a parallelogram.
New
New
Year 6
Explain how to calculate the area of a parallelogram
I can recall and explain how to calculate the area of a parallelogram.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- The area of a parallelogram is equal to the area of the rectangle created by rearranging the parts.
- Any parallelogram has a base and a perpendicular height.
- The area of a parallelogram is equal to its base multiplied by its perpendicular height.
Keywords
Perpendicular - Two lines are perpendicular if they meet at a right angle.
Parallelogram - A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel and equal sides.
Common misconception
Pupils might believe the perpendicular height of any parallelogram to be one of its side lengths. This is only true of a rectangle.
Take time to exemplify perpendicular height with a focus on the right angle created. Make use of examples within the lesson and include additional unusual parallelograms to secure understanding.
Pupils who find it challenging to identify a right angle (needed to identify perpendicular heights) may benefit from using, for example, the corner of a ruler as a right angle checker. They can then place this on the base of the parallelograms to check if it is a perpendicular height.
Teacher tip
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which of the shapes is 4-sided?
Triangle
Pentagon
Hexagon
Octagon
Q2.
Choose the parallelograms.
Q3.
Which of the statements is true for parallelograms?
They can contain curved sides.
All of the interior angles are always different to each other.
Q4.
Number rods have been used to make shapes. Tick the statement that is true.
Neither are parallelograms.
The shape on the left is a parallelogram but the shape on the right is not.
The shape on the right is a parallelogram but the shape on the left is not.
Q5.
‘A square is a parallelogram’. Is this statement:
Sometimes true?
Never true?
Q6.
Which of these statements are true?
Both shapes are rectangles.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which line is the base of the parallelogram?
Line a
Line b
Q2.
Which line is the perpendicular height of the parallelogram?
Line a
Line c
Q3.
What is the formula for the area of a parallelogram?
Area = base + perpendicular height
Area = base ÷ perpendicular height
Area = base − perpendicular height
Q4.
What is the area of the parallelogram? cm².
Q5.
A parallelogram has a base length of 10 cm and a perpendicular height of 3 cm. What is the area of the parallelogram? cm².
Q6.
A parallelogram has a base length of 6 cm and a perpendicular height of 4 cm. What is the area of the parallelogram? cm².