The purpose of this activity is for students to estimate a reasonable answer based on the experience they have had with area. The activity also familiarizes students with chicken coops which will be helpful in the next activity when they plan an area in which to keep chickens. When students make an estimate or range of reasonable answers with incomplete information, they model with mathematics (MP4).

• Consider asking:
  • “¿Alguien hizo una estimación menor que ___? ¿Alguien hizo una estimación mayor que ___?” // “Is anyone’s estimate less than ___? Is anyone’s estimate greater than ___?”
  • “Teniendo en cuenta esta discusión, ¿alguien quiere ajustar su estimación?” // “Based on this discussion does anyone want to revise their estimate?”
• Reveal the side lengths of the area taken up by the coop are 3 feet and 6 feet.
• If time, invite students to find the area and the perimeter of the chicken coop.

The purpose of this activity is for students to solve a problem that involves area and perimeter of rectangles. Students use given information to decide how many chickens can be kept in an area with given constraints. The information is given as a combination of area measurements and measurements of length.

In this activity, students have opportunities to make decisions about information that isn’t given in the task. For instance, when designing the fenced area for the chickens, students can place the chicken coop in the fenced area or have the chicken coop outside, but it must be connected to the fenced area. Students can also choose to include the maximum number of chickens or reduce the number slightly to make sure they have enough space. When students make assumptions about information not given in a situation, model the situation with a representation such as a drawing or equation, and report on their conclusions and reasoning, they model with mathematics (MP4).

• Invite previously selected students to display their posters for all to see.
• Invite 2–3 groups to share how they decided on how many chickens Maya should get.