Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Allotment Plot Blueprint: Free Printable Worksheet for Year 8
- ForYear 8
- StageKey Stage 3
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Allotment Plot Blueprint is a free printable maths worksheet for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13). Children plan an allotment plot made of 10 beds. They sketch how the plot is cut up, then find the area and perimeter of each bed in a table. All sizes are in metres. Page 2 gives the grown up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children plan an allotment plot made up of 10 beds. First they complete two sketches that show how the plot is cut into shapes. Then they work down a table. For each bed they write the shape and sizes in metres, find the area in square metres and find the perimeter in metres. The beds include triangles, parallelograms and trapezia. A totals row lets them check the whole plot before they order compost and edging.
- Bed
- Shape and sizes (m)
- Area (m²)
- Perimeter (m)
Worked example: a trapezium bed
A trapezium bed has parallel sides of 11 m and 5 m. The height between them is 4 m. Each slanted side is 5 m. Find the area and the perimeter.
This example has its own numbers. It shows two ways to find an area, and why the height and the slanted sides must be kept apart.
Method 1: the trapezium formula- Area of a trapezium = half × (sum of the parallel sides) × height.
- Add the parallel sides: 11 + 5 = 16.
- Half of 16 is 8. Then 8 × 4 = 32.
- Draw the height at each end. This makes a rectangle in the middle and a triangle on each side.
- The rectangle is 5 m by 4 m, so its area is 20 m².
- Each end triangle has a base of 3 m and a height of 4 m. Half of 3 × 4 is 6 m². Two triangles make 12 m².
- Add: 20 + 12 = 32 m².
- Add the four outside edges: 11 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 26.
- The height of 4 m is inside the shape, so it does not go in the perimeter.
Getting ready for the plot
Read the table first
Look at the four column headings before starting. Ask what each one is asking for and which units go with it. Area is in square metres and perimeter is in metres.
Sketch before you calculate
The two sketches come first for a reason. A clear picture shows which lengths are heights, which are slanted sides and which are parallel sides.
Mark the lengths
Use colour to mark the height on each shape in one colour and the slanted sides in another. This stops the wrong length going into a formula.
Use the totals row
The totals row is a check. If the totals look wrong, hunt back through the table for the bed that caused the problem.
Why plan an allotment on paper?
An allotment is a plot of land rented by a person or family to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers. Gardeners often divide a plot into beds so each crop has its own space and paths stay clear. Before buying anything, a good planner works out how much space each bed takes up and how long its edges are.
Area tells you how much soil or compost a bed needs. Perimeter tells you how much edging runs round it. These are two different measurements for the same shape, and Year 8 learners need to keep them apart. A real planning task gives each answer a clear purpose.
Allotment and shape facts
- An allotment is a plot of land that people rent to grow their own food.
- Compost is made from plant material that has rotted down. Gardeners add it to soil to feed plants.
- Edging runs round the outside of a bed, so it is a perimeter measurement.
- Area is measured in square units, such as square metres (m²).
- A trapezium has one pair of parallel sides.
Skills and curriculum link
- Deriving area formulae
- Area of triangles, parallelograms and trapezia
- Perimeter
- Checking totals
- Working in metres
Ideas that help with this sheet
- Height and slant are differentThe height meets the base at a right angle. A slanted side leans over. The height is used for area. The slanted sides are used for perimeter.
- Why a triangle is halfA triangle fits with a copy of itself to make a parallelogram. That is why its area is half of base times height.
- Trapezium by averagingA trapezium can be seen as a rectangle with a width halfway between its two parallel sides. This idea sits behind its formula.
- Units matterArea counts squares, so the unit is m². Perimeter measures a length, so the unit is m. Writing units helps catch mix ups.
Key words
- AreaThe amount of flat space inside a shape. It is measured in square units.
- PerimeterThe total distance around the outside of a shape.
- ParallelogramA four sided shape with two pairs of parallel sides.
- TrapeziumA four sided shape with one pair of parallel sides.
- Perpendicular heightThe height measured at a right angle to the base.
- DeriveWork out a rule or formula from what you already know.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Ask your child to complete both sketches first. Talk about what each cut shows.
- Work down the table one bed at a time. Mark the height and slanted sides on each shape before choosing lengths.
- Use the totals row as a check. If a total looks wrong, look for the bed that caused it.
- Check against page 2, then come back another day. Repeating a familiar sheet builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Give the formulae on a card. Let your child mark the height in one colour and the slanted sides in another on each shape. Then ask which colour is used for area and which for perimeter. Try the first few beds together before they work alone.
To stretch confident children
Ask your child to work out how many bags of compost the whole plot needs, using the bag coverage on page 2. Then ask how much edging is left from the rolls on sale. Finally, ask them to explain why rounding matters.
Make it a game
Pairs swap completed sheets and check each other's totals. Then they hunt for any bed where the two answers differ. Each pair must decide who is right by redrawing the shape and marking its lengths. A point goes to the player who spots the error.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child uses a slanted side as the height when finding area.
Try thisMark the height with a right angle symbol. Ask which side meets the base at a right angle.
Watch forA child forgets to halve when finding the area of a triangle.
Try thisDraw a copy of the triangle to make a parallelogram. Ask what part of it is the original triangle.
Watch forA child only adds the parallel sides of a trapezium for its perimeter.
Try thisTrace round the shape with a finger or pencil. Every outside edge must be counted once.
Talk about it
- Why do you think the plot is cut into beds of different shapes?
- How can you tell a height from a slanted side?
- Why is the area of a triangle half of base times height?
- What is the difference between area and perimeter? When would a gardener need each one?
- Which bed was trickiest, and what helped you with it?
- How does the totals row help you spot a mistake?
Take it off the page
Draw your own plot
Draw a plot on squared paper. Cut it into triangles, parallelograms and trapezia. Label sizes in metres and swap with someone to solve.
Pace it out
Mark out a shape in a garden or park with string or chalk. Measure the sides and work out its perimeter and area. An adult should supervise any outdoor work.
Cut and rearrange
Cut a paper parallelogram and rearrange the pieces into a rectangle. Ask what this shows about its area.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit with your child for the first bed, then let them lead. Ask them to explain their method. Praise careful thinking, not just correct answers. If they get stuck, offer the formula card and colour marking idea.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing. The sketches and table make it easy to check method as well as answers, and page 2 gives support and stretch for mixed ability groups.
Home educators
Print it as part of a wider maths plan. It pairs well with outdoor measuring, gardening or planning a real space. You can print it again for brothers and sisters, or for revision a few weeks later.
Where this fits in maths
Before this sheet, learners work with the area and perimeter of rectangles and meet the idea that area counts squares. Many also meet the area of triangles and parallelograms in earlier years. This sheet builds on that by asking learners to explain where the formulae come from.
After this sheet, learners in Key Stage 3 go on to work with more complex and compound shapes, circles, and the volume of solids. Pythagoras' theorem also belongs to Key Stage 3 and helps find missing lengths such as slanted sides. Secure area skills make all of these easier.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Allotment Plot Blueprint for?
It is written for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13) in Key Stage 3. It also suits confident Year 7 learners and Year 9 learners who want to practise area and perimeter.
- What will children practise?
Children practise deriving and using area formulae and finding perimeter for triangles, parallelograms and trapezia. They apply these in an allotment planning task, with all sizes in metres.
- How do I use it?
Children complete both sketches first, then work down the table. They use the totals row as a check before ordering compost and edging. Work through the first bed together, then let them try alone.
- What if it feels too hard?
Give the formulae on a card. Let your child mark the height and slanted sides in colour on each shape. This makes it clear which lengths are used for area and which for perimeter.
- Is it free?
Yes. It is free to print for home and classroom use. You can print it again for brothers, sisters, revision or other classes.
- Can teachers use it in class?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity. It needs no preparation beyond printing, and page 2 has help, a stretch idea and the answers.
- Is this a screen free activity?
Yes. It is a printable that needs only paper and a pencil. It works well for quiet time, rainy days, school holidays or homework, and it prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.