Ready to Administer Performance Assessment

Introduction:
This assessment is meant for fourth grade students who have completed a unit on
Area and Volume. This unit had students discovering the formula for area by
experimenting with tiles and filling in rectangles. It called on students to draw on
prior knowledge of rectangles and organization skills for arranging the tiles. Once
students accurately filled the rectangle with tiles, they moved from counting the
individual tiles to thinking about a multiplication array as a way to figure out the
total number of tiles, thus developing the formula for area of a rectangle, length x
width. After exposure to the formula for area, the students were guided to think
about 3-dimensional objects as layers of rectangles. Filling in rectangular prisms
with cubes and then layering the cubes filled a 3-dimensional space. Students were
asked to think about how much space that figure occupied. In developing the
formula for volume, students progressed from counting each cube, to figuring out
how many cubes were in the bottom layer and adding that number together the
same number of times as the number of layers, to developing the formula of length
x width x height. This assessment asks students to draw on this knowledge of area
and volume and incorporate creativity in designing a tile to redo our classroom
floor. Students will need to be able to accurately measure the room and decide on
a tile size, design the tile, figure how much tile will be needed to redo our floor
(area), and how much space the custodian will need to store the tile until the end
of the school year when our room is cleared and ready (volume).
Students introduction:
You have explored area and volume with unit squares and unit cubes and
discovered how they relate to the mathematical formulas for finding them. Today
you will be able to use what you have learned to help me create a new look for our
classroom.
Outcomes:
3.MD.C.7.B Multiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole-number
side lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems, and
represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning.
4.MD.A.3 Apply the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles in real world and
mathematical problems.
5.MD.C.5 Relate volume to the operations of multiplication and addition and solve
real world and mathematical problems involving volume.
5.MD.C.5.B Apply the formulas V = l w h and V = b h for rectangular prisms
to find volumes of right rectangular prisms with whole-number edge lengths in the
context of solving real world and mathematical problems.
Directions:
How can we use what we know about area and volume to redecorate our
classroom? You will be designing a tile to install in our classroom. You will need to
measure our classroom with a partner to find and record the length and width of
the room. You will then switch roles and hold the tape measure while your partner
measures and records the length and width of the room. Then, working

Laura Sprunk
LTM 632

independently you will design your original tile for our floor. You will need to
include the dimensions of your tile. You will need to figure out how many tiles you
will need to redo our floor. And since we will need to store these tiles until than can
be installed, you will need to tell me how much space you will need to store your
tiles. You will create a presentation to share your findings with the class. You
presentation will include all measurements you took, all calculations you did, a
sample of your tile that is life-size, and a model of our classroom showing how the
new tile will look. You will have 2 full class periods to work on this at school any
additional work will be completed at home.
Criteria:
Students will be able to measure the size of the room accurately using appropriate
tools.
Students will use the formulas for area and volume to complete the design task.
Students will show their thinking for using the formulas for area and volume via
words or pictures.
Students will design a full size tile, accurately representing length, width, and
depth to present to the class.
Students will design a model, diorama, or virtual representation of what the
completed project will look like in our room.
Student self-assessment rubric
Not Yet (Areas
that need
improvement)

Proficient
(Performance
standards)
I used appropriate
tools and measured
the classroom
correctly.
I used the formulas
for area and volume
correctly.
I showed my
thinking using words
or pictures.
I created a full size
and accurate
representation of my
tile.
I created a model,
diorama, or virtual
representation of our
new classroom.

Evidence (How
you met the
standard)

Advanced (Areas
that go beyond
the basics)

Laura Sprunk
LTM 632

I finished my
presentation on time
and presented to the
class.
Student self-assessment prompt:
What was one problem you had when deciding how large or small to make your
tiles? How did you solve it?