Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students are asked to measure the perimeter, area and volume of a range of garden bed shapes. They are also asked to explore how these shapes affect the materials required for creating garden beds and the number of vegetables that can be planted. As a result of this activity students are encouraged to apply their learning and build a garden of their own.

Learning goals:

  • Students use perimeter, area and volume to measure a variety of shapes.
  • Students learn how to build a vegetable patch and plant out vegetables.

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Mathematics Year 8

  • Find perimeters and areas of parallelograms, trapeziums, rhombuses and kites (ACMMG196)
  • Develop the formulas for volumes of rectangular and triangular prisms and prisms in general. Use formulas to solve problems involving volume (ACMMG198)

Topic: Sustainability

Time required: 60 mins+ time for extension questions, depending on what is chosen for the students to complete.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium

Resources required: Student worksheet, rulers, graph paper.

Digital learning opportunities:

Homework and extension opportunities: Students can create any shape bed and plant out with vegetables. They can also price soil and wood and find out the amount and cost of materials required for the vegetable patch they have created. See the extension questions included. 

Key words: Mathematics, garden, garden bed, perimeter, area, volume, geometry. 

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher Preparation

Overarching learning goal

Students use garden beds and the growing of vegetables to explore the perimeter, area and volume of parallelograms, trapeziums, rhombuses and kites. Students are asked to explore a range of garden bed shapes, and how these shapes affect the materials required for creating the garden beds and the number of vegetables that can be planted.

Teacher content information

Food and water is essential to our survival. 50,000 years ago, when we were dashing about the savannahs and forests, humans hunted and gathered their food. Now things have changed. We don’t catch our food anymore; it comes to us in nice-looking processed packages. We are told that this packaging and processing makes it easier for us to eat and that it is better for us. Who are we kidding? It usually just means that it’s got stuff in it that’s bad for us, and that it’s wrapped in something that’s bad for our environment.

Food is best for you when you know the ingredients and i

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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: Do you know where the ingredients that make up a packet of chips come from?

Food and water is essential to our survival. 50,000 years ago, when we were dashing about the savannahs and forests, humans hunted and gathered their food. Now things have changed. We don’t catch our food anymore; it comes to us in nice-looking processed packages. Food is best for you when you know the ingredients and it is grown locally. Most processed food (stuff that comes in a wrapper, bottle, package or box) contains things that no one can pronounce let alone knows the origins of. This is why growing your own vegetables is such a great idea!

1. Tony and Sam are building some vegetable garden beds.

Tony

Sam

Tony and Sam want to construct these garden beds. They went to the local hardware store to find wood to surround the bed. Wood was available in 2.5m x 20cm, which was perfect. Calculate how many pieces are required for each bed (show your workings

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