Grade 5 Area and Perimeter Word Problems Worksheet

Student Task

• Use this worksheet after students are comfortable calculating perimeter and area from
• diagrams alone. Read the first problem aloud together and underline the key numbers as a
• class, then let students continue independently or in pairs. Encourage students to
• underline whether each problem is asking for area or perimeter before they start
• calculating — this is the most common error at this stage. The working space under each
• problem is there for a reason: ask to see it, not just the final answer.

Classroom Use

• Real-Life Measurement Walk: Take students to measure the length and width of an actual
• space at school — the classroom, a walkway, or a garden bed. Back in class, have pairs
• write and solve their own word problem using the real measurements they collected,
• modelled on the problems in this worksheet.

Differentiation

Support: Provide the word bank (already included) plus a sentence frame such as
"The ___ of the shape is ___ m² / m, so the answer is ___." Allow students to draw a
diagram for problems 5 and 6 before calculating if one is not provided.
On-Level: Students complete all six problems independently, showing full working.
Challenge: Ask students to rewrite question 6 so that the sandpit is a square instead
of a rectangle, choose their own measurements, and solve their new version.

Answer Key & Assessment

Completed worksheet, checked against the answer key
Observation of working shown for questions 3, 4, and 6
Oral questioning: ask a student to explain how they knew whether a problem needed area or perimeter

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to identify whether a real-life situation requires area or perimeter.
• Students will be able to solve one-step and two-step word problems involving area and perimeter.
• Students will be able to calculate the total cost of materials using a price per square metre or per metre.
• Students will be able to compare the areas of two rectangles and describe the difference.
• Students will be able to find the remaining area when one rectangle is removed from another.

Teacher Tips

For question 3 and question 4, have students write the unit of the price ($ per m² versus
$ per m) next to the number before they calculate. Students often multiply the correct
numbers but lose track of which price applies to which measurement.

What's Included

• 2-page student worksheet (6 word problems)
• Fully worked answer key with complete working shown
• Editable DOCX version of the worksheet and the answer key
• Print-ready PDF of the worksheet
• Print-ready PDF answer key

Additional Files

• Area and Perimeter.docx (DOCX)

Teacher Reviews