Areas with Isai Ambalam Children

The 5th and 6th graders had made a metre square using chart papers to measure its area. They measured and cut a wooden rod and used it as a scale of 1 metre. Everyone were involved and I felt they were responsible for the work they were doing. A girl(Keerthana of 6th grade) used a hack saw for the first time to cut the wooden rod. Children used Dienes blocks to calculate areas of their notebook. Then they tried guessing the area of the 1 meter chart paper by placing their note books on the chart. They came up different numbers.

The next class we had 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade combined class for demonstrating area of a square/rectangle. The 3rd and 4th grade did the activity the older children did the previous class. ie, calculating areas of their notebook using Dienes blocks.

The 5th and sixth grade children measured the area of the chart paper that Arham had put together for the children to measure. The chart paper was 1.6m by 1.4m. They had difficulty in multiplying decimals. They kept on placing the decimal point in the incorrect position. We demonstrated decimal multiplication using graph sheets. They they were able to understand decimal multiplication.

— Arun and Bala —