Education Technology


What's the Plan?

Activity Overview

Students investigate area with nonstandard and standard units of measure. They work to plan a unique vegetable garden and calculate the costs of plants for the garden.

Before the Activity

  • See the attached PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity
  • Print pages 149 - 166 from the attached PDF file for your class
  • During the Activity

    Distribute the page to the class.

    Follow the activity procedures:
    Activity A:

  • Discuss the characteristics of a garden, and read the book: The Ugly Vegetables to the class


  • Activity B:
  • Trace out the outline of a standing volunteer on a butcher block paper
  • Cover the desktop with business cards
  • Find the number of cards used
  • Use the calculator to count the number of rows and number of cards in each row and calculate the area
  • Use two centimeter grid paper and find the number of squares required to cover the desktop
  • Discuss the usefulness of having standard units of measuring area


  • Activity C:
  • Plan a garden using the Garden Grid that has ten squares in each row and total of ten rows
  • Each small square on the grid represents one large square in the actual garden plot


  • Activity D:
  • Pass out Plant cutout cards
  • Use the calculator to choose the number and kinds of plants to be planted


  • Activity E:
  • Pass out the Vegetable Price tables
  • Use the calculator to find the total cost of the plants
  • Plan the number and kinds of plants that would fit in the given budget
  • After the Activity

  • Review student results
  • As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging
  • Re-teach concepts as necessary