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Year 4

Understand that different shapes can have the same perimeter

I understand that different 2D shapes can have the same perimeter.

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New
New
Year 4

Understand that different shapes can have the same perimeter

I understand that different 2D shapes can have the same perimeter.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Shapes that look different can have the same perimeter.
  2. You can draw or create more than one 2D shape with the same perimeter.
  3. Shapes with different numbers of sides can have the same perimeter.

Common misconception

Pupils will most likely understand that different shapes can and most often do have different perimeters. They may not realise that the perimeters can potentially be the same.

Allowing pupils to recreate perimeters using string or number rods and rearranging themselves to make a new shape is a powerful way of showing that different shapes can have equal perimeters.

Keywords

  • Polygon - A polygon is a 2D shape made up of 3 or more straight lines.

  • Perimeter - The distance around a two-dimensional shape.

If it is possible for the pupils to use real leaves, it will make the learning experience even more enjoyable and memorable. However, pictures of leaves are an acceptable substitute.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the number of sides to the shape name.
Correct Answer:3 sides ,triangle

triangle

Correct Answer:4 sides ,quadrilateral

quadrilateral

Correct Answer:5 sides ,pentagon

pentagon

Correct Answer:6 sides ,hexagon

hexagon

Q2.
Select all of the names of shapes that are polygons.
Cube
Correct answer: Square
Correct answer: Triangle
Circle
Q3.
Which of these shapes are regular polygons?
A
B
Correct answer: C
Correct answer: D
Q4.
Rearrange these phrases to make a sentence.
1 - Perimeter is
2 - the distance around
3 - the outside of
4 - a 2D shape.
Q5.
Which of these shows the perimeter of the triangle?
Correct answer: A
B
C
Q6.
In terms of perimeter, which of the statements are true of this image?
An image in a quiz
a has the same perimeter as b
Correct answer: a has a longer perimeter than b
a has a shorter perimeter than b
Correct answer: b has a shorter perimeter than a
b has a longer perimeter than a

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these is true?
Correct answer: Two different shapes can have the same perimeter.
Two different shapes cannot have the same perimeter.
Correct answer: Two different shapes may or may not have the same perimeter.
Q2.
Always, sometimes or never true? A regular polygon can have the same perimeter as a shape with curved sides.
Always true.
Correct answer: Sometimes true.
Never true.
Q3.
Select the two shapes with the same perimeter.
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
An image in a quiz
Q4.
Which of these statements is true?
An image in a quiz
The shapes have the same perimeter.
The square has the longer perimeter.
Correct answer: The triangle has the longer perimeter.
Q5.
Which statement is true of the polygons created inside these number rods?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: The shapes are different but the perimeter is the same.
The shapes are different and the perimeter is different.
It is impossible to tell whether the perimeter is the same or different.
Q6.
Which of these statements is true about these three rectangles?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: The rectangles could have the same perimeter.
The rectangles cannot have equal perimeter because sides lengths are different.
B has the longest perimeter because it has the longest side length.