Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! - Area and Perimeter Project

This activity is to go alongside the book “Spaghetti and Meatballs for All! A Mathematical Story” written by Marilyn Burns and Illustrated by Debbie Tilley.

This book was AWESOME at introducing the idea of AREA and PERIMETER to elementary students however I wanted to be able to use it for my middle school students as well. In 6th grade students no longer use the “square”/counting method for area and perimeter, instead they are introduced to formulas and begin writing equations to solve these types of problems.

Introduce your students to the concept of AREA and PERIMETER or have older students practice what they already know in a fun and cross-curricular way!

Here's what you'll get:

> PDF file with 11 pages dedicated to table and chair arrangement examples that go along with each 11 arrangements in the book.

> Full page of 8 tables and 32 chairs that you can laminate and cut for your students to manipulate at their desks or you can simply have them sketch each table arrangement on a sheet of paper.

> Worksheet that students can follow along with book/PowerPoint and write EQUATIONS for each of the table arrangements Mrs. Comfort and her crazy family go through

Students will also answer higher order thinking questions involving the book and area/perimeter allowing them to think critically and collaborate with classmates.

Students will be practicing:

1. Constructing area models 
2. Generating area and perimeter formulas 
3. Critical Thinking skills 
4. Connecting models, formulas and solutions for area and perimeter

TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Elizabeth F. - “This resource was so easy to use with minimal prep time. I could differentiate easily and modify for students on lower numbers and higher ability. They love the story and made me play it to the end. This was a wonderful lesson for multiplication that I will use again in the future.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mrs. Spencer - “This was a good companion to the book. It was helpful to have the chairs and tables for the students to cut out. After the first two rounds of table moving, I asked the students to move the tables themselves to make just the right amount of places to sit before I read the next page, which inspired a little more thinking on their part. This resource made it easier to hold students accountable for their work.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Lisa R. - “Exactly what I was looking for! A big hit with students!”

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→ Halloween Riddle - Order of Operations 

→  Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie - Multiply and Divide Fractions

→ Halloween Riddle - Integer Operations

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