Geometry is one of my favorite units to teach.  In this unit, there are so many ways to create lessons, activities, and projects that are easily aligned to the real world.  I’m not saying that is not the case for other units but I do have to get a little creative when we start working with advanced operations with exponents.

In the past, I have done many different activities and projects with my students, such as:

• Calculating the circumference and area of doughnuts.
• Designing cities based upon geometric figures and terms.
• Creating and designing Pythagorean Theorem spirals.
• Measuring and labeling (with chalk) the dimensions of objects around school, as well as calculating the perimeter and area of these objects.

…and more!

All of those activities/projects have been great because they have been engaging to students.  Especially, the doughnut one – which I will continue to do this year.  I mean, who doesn’t love to eat doughnuts in class?  However, I wanted to find a way to allow students the opportunity to explore the perimeter and area of these shapes in the real world.

The last activity that I listed was one of my favorites.  The students really enjoyed exploring the shapes that were outside of our classroom.  In fact, some of them found some very creative ways to form shapes from multiple objects.  This year, I decided that the best way for the students to document their work was to create a digital Slide Deck documenting the shapes that they have found, as well as calculating the perimeter and area of these shapes.

Click on the image below or HERE to create your own copy of the Slide Deck.

The idea behind this “scavenger hunt” is simple.  Students will:

• Explore the campus to find and take pictures of the given shapes.
• Document the dimensions (length/width, radius/diameter) of the shape.
• Upload the image into the Slide Deck.
• Calculate the perimeter and area.

That’s it!

Although my students have not completed this activity, I will be posting some of their projects once they have completed their Slide Deck.  Within the Slide Deck, I have given examples and instructions to get you and your students started.

As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or if you plan on using this activity.  I love to hear from other teachers when they use these projects to give me ideas on how to modify it for future teachers and students.