7th Grade Math Lesson
Scale Drawings and Scale Factor: Reading Floor Plans and Map Distances
Shared by A STEM Educator
7th GradeThinking Classroom50 min
Learning Objective
Students will use scale factors to convert between drawing measurements and real-world measurements, and analyze how scale factor changes affect both perimeter and area of scaled figures.
Lesson Overview
Students move from multiplying by a unit rate to interpreting and creating scale drawings of architectural floor plans and maps, culminating in discovering why doubling the scale factor quadruples area while only doubling perimeter.
Materials
- Vertical whiteboards or chart paper
- Dry-erase markers and erasers
- Pencils and plain paper
- Ruler (one per group — already on teacher desk)
- Basic calculator or phone
Scaffolded Task Progression
1Task 1
Warm-up: A map uses the scale . Fill in the table.
What operation are you repeating each time?
| Drawing length | Real-world distance |
|---|---|
| cm | _____ km |
| cm | _____ km |
| cm | _____ km |
| cm | _____ km |
What operation are you repeating each time?
2Task 2
A classroom blueprint uses the scale . Use a ruler to measure each wall on the drawing below, then find the real-world length.
[ Interactive graph / diagram, available in the full lesson ]
The rectangle is in wide and in tall on the drawing. Find the real-world width and height of the classroom.
[ Interactive graph / diagram, available in the full lesson ]
The rectangle is in wide and in tall on the drawing. Find the real-world width and height of the classroom.
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