Lesson Objectives
This lesson plan will help students develop spatial sense. The purpose is to allow students to use the knowledge they already know (areas of the
standard shapes I.e., triangles, squares, rectangles…etc.) to help them understand something new (the area of a hexagon).
Lesson Outline
Introduction Activity: Breaking up a hexagon to find the formula
- Provide students with the attached worksheet that shows the hexagon broken up. Ask students to recall previous formulas for area to try to come up with a formula for this hexagon.
- Once the students have explored, go through a solution with them on the board. Ask them to draw a new hexagon and see if the formula still works.
Extensions:
- Refer to the Honeycomb Conjecture to evoke curiosity from students.Â
- Extend 2D to 3D. Explore the volume of hexagonal prisms similarly breaking it up into smaller prisms.