CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY MATHEMATICS 7: TEACHER’S RESOURCE

Additional teaching
ideas
15.1 Converting between units for area
Starter ideas Main teaching ideas
Getting started (5–10 minutes) Question 4, Think like a mathematician
Resources: Notebooks, Learner’s Book Getting (2–5 minutes)
started exercise Learning intention: To notice that when converting
Description: Learners should have little difficulty from smaller units to bigger units, they should divide
with most parts of the Getting started exercise. by the conversion factor; and when converting from
Nevertheless, before learners attempt the questions, bigger units to smaller units, they should multiply by
discuss what they remember about work done during the conversion factor.
Unit 3; that is, multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, Resources: Notebooks, Learner’s Book
1000, etc. Discuss when adding or deleting zeros
Description: Hopefully, after reading Question 4,
might be the easiest option and when ‘moving’ the
learners will say something about the ‘metric area’
decimal is a more sensible choice.
diagram they have copied in their notebooks from the
Now allow learners to attempt the questions. starter idea activity in the main Teacher’s Resource.
Learners might require guidance for part b of
Ask ‘The diagram is very useful, but what could
Question 3. If learners make mistakes, ask other
Marcus do if he didn’t want to keep referring to
learners to show how to split up the compound shape
the diagram?’, ‘It seems that it is only the ‘divide or
to make two simpler rectangles. Note that there are
multiply’ part that Marcus is confused with. What
three sensible ways to make two rectangles here:
could help him to remember this?’
5 × 2 + 4 × 2; 7 × 2 + 2 × 2; and 7 × 4 − 5 × 2.
Differentiation ideas: If needed, guide learners into
Area of shapes (2–5 minutes) talking about when converting from smaller units
Resources: None to bigger units there will be less of them, so divide.
When converting from bigger units to smaller units
Description: Do this activity before starting the there will be more of them, so multiply.
introduction or worked example.
Ask learners what they know about area of shapes. How many? (5 minutes)
Learners can discuss formulae they know, any units Learning intention: To work out how to convert
of area they have used, when this skill might be km2 to mm2. To work out the area in m2 as an
useful and anything else that lets you know about intermediate step.
their knowledge so far.
Resources: Notebooks
If this knowledge is limited, work through all of the
Description: Square kilometres (and hectares) is
starter idea activity in the main Teacher’s Resource.
covered in the next section. However, this is a good
If learners’ knowledge is significant, ask them just to
activity to get learners to deal with conversions that
draw the ‘metric area’ diagram from the starter idea
they are probably unfamiliar with, using conversions
activity in the main Teacher’s Resource.
they have already used (or at least discussed in the
starter idea activity in the main Teacher’s Resource).

1 Cambridge Lower Secondary Mathematics 7 – Byrd, Byrd & Pearce © Cambridge University Press 2021
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY MATHEMATICS 7: TEACHER’S RESOURCE

Ask the class to guess how many square millimetres Plenary idea
there are in a square kilometre. Do not say if they
are correct or not. Ask learners to write down their Exit questions (2–4 minutes)
guesses in their notebooks or on pieces of paper, to Resources: Mini whiteboards
refer to later.
Description: Ask learners the following questions in
Ask ‘How would you work out how many square turn, asking learners to hold up the answer before
millimetres there are in a square kilometre?’ This asking the next question.
might take some time and you might need to give
How many centimetres are in 1 metre? [100]
guidance. When learners have suggested a suitable
method, ask them to complete the calculation. Do How many metres are in 1 kilometre? [1000]
not allow calculators for the calculation [as the How many centimetres are in 1 kilometre? [100 000]
answer will be 1 × 1012].
How many centimetres are in 1 millimetre? [0.1].
If learners are not working towards a reasonable (This could be confusing, as learners need to know
answer, guide them to think of the conversion of that the conversion factor of 10 must be divided;
square kilometres to square millimetres as a two-step i.e. 1 ÷ 10 = 0.1.)
operation, converting to m2 first (as they already
How many square centimetres are in 1 square metre?
know that conversion factor) and then from m2 to
[100 × 100 = 10 000]
mm2 (as they already know that conversion factor,
too): 1 km2 × 10002 (now 1 km2 is in m2) and How many square metres are in 1 square kilometre?
then × 10002 ⇒ 1 000 000 000 000 mm2. Ask [1000 × 1000 = 1 000 000]
‘Was your guess correct?’ Assessment ideas: Checking the answers as they
are shown gives a good view of overall recall
Answer: 1 km2 = 1 000 000 m2 = 1 000 000 000 000 mm2 and understanding of much of the work done. If
learners make mistakes, are the mistakes due to
Differentiation ideas: For very confident learners misconceptions or just a lack of recall of the facts?
who are already very competent with using a You can determine this only through discussion with
calculator, allow them to use a calculator, but only if individual learners.
you have time to explain the answer display and how
to convert it to 1 000 000 000 000.

2 Cambridge Lower Secondary Mathematics 7 – Byrd, Byrd & Pearce © Cambridge University Press 2021