On Friday in Mrs. Mize’s Math 7 class, students used interconnecting blocks to learn about the area of rectangles and squares. Students were able to build rectangles and squares using different numbers of blocks. The activity called for the students to first count the total number of blocks used, then use multiplication of the rows and columns to find the total area. The students quickly connected multiplication of the rows and columns to the total area for a much quicker way of finding the area of their shape. Once this concrete connection was made, students began building much bigger rectangles and squares with their blocks.

Mrs. Mize said, “I love being able to use hands on activities to go along with certain math lessons because it gives the students an opportunity to create and solve their own math problems. There is great ownership and confidence built when a student can create and solve their own math problem. It gives a real sense of mastery.”