I want to show you a little about the Perimeter Explorer applet first. Teacher Input You may choose to lead the students in a short discussion about how to find the perimeter for random shapes. Explain to the students how to do the assignment. You should model or demonstrate it for the students, especially if they are not familiar with how to use our computer applets. Open your browser to Perimeter Explorer in order to demonstrate this activity to the students.
Perimeter is the total length around the object.
So imagine the grid lines are equal to one step. And imagine the outside edges of the figure are tight ropes. You want to see how many steps it will take you to get all the way around the edge. The number of steps would be the perimeter. Once we have calculated the perimeter we will put our answer in the textfield and click the check answer button.