Objective
Find the area of a rectangle by counting unit squares on grids.
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
The core standards covered in this lesson
3.MD.C.5— Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement.
Measurement and Data
3.MD.C.5— Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement.
3.MD.C.6— Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units).
Measurement and Data
3.MD.C.6— Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units).
Foundational Standards
The foundational standards covered in this lesson
2.G.A.2
Geometry
2.G.A.2— Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares and count to find the total number of them.
Criteria for Success
The essential concepts students need to demonstrate or understand to achieve the lesson objective
- Relate a physical model of measuring area (namely, square tiles with no gaps or overlaps) to a pictorial one by laying square tiles on top of grid paper.
- Find the area of various rectangles where their square units are shown pictorially.
- Draw a rectangle with a given area on grid paper.
- Describe the structure of a rectangle in terms of rows and columns.
- Find the area of various figures where their square units are shown pictorially, including rectilinear figures and figures with partial units (on Problem Set).
Tips for Teachers
Suggestions for teachers to help them teach this lesson
Lesson Materials
- Square inch tiles (at least 12 per student or small group)
- Template: Square Inch Grid (1 or 2 per student) — Students will need at least 1 copy of this. The second copy is in case teachers don't have enough square inch tiles, in which case this second copy needs to be cut into individual units.
- Template: Rectangle Sort (1 per student or small group) — This material should be cut into pieces before the lesson.
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Anchor Tasks
Tasks designed to teach criteria for success of the lesson, and guidance to help draw out student understanding
Problem 1
Build a rectangle whose area is 12 squareunits on top of grid paper. Then trace around the outside of your rectangle. What do you notice about the rectangle you traced on the grid paper? What do you wonder?
Guiding Questions
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Problem 2
a.Sort the cards (cut out from Template: Rectangle Sort) into categories of your choosing. Be prepared to explain your categories.
b.Create a rectangle that would fit in each group.
Guiding Questions
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References
Illustrative Mathematics Illustrative Math Grade 3 Unit 2 Lesson 3 Activity 2
Adapted from Illustrative Math Grade 3 Unit 2 Lesson 3 Activity 2, accessed on Sept. 21, 2022, 10:27 a.m., is licensed by Illustrative Mathematics under either theCC BY 4.0orCC BY-NC-SA 4.0. For further information, contact Illustrative Mathematics.
Modified by Fishtank Learning, Inc.
Problem 3
a.Can you and your partner draw the same rectangle without looking at each other's drawing?
- Partner A: Draw a rectangle on one of the grids provided. Describe it to your partner without telling them the total number of squares.
- Partner B: Draw the rectangle your partner describes to you.
b.Place your two rectangles next to each other. Discuss: What is the same? What is different?
c.Switch roles and repeat.
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Guiding Questions
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References
Illustrative Mathematics Illustrative Math Grade 3 Unit 2 Lesson 4
Illustrative Math Grade 3 Unit 2 Lesson 4 Activity 1, accessed on Sept. 23, 2022, 12:38 p.m., is licensed by Illustrative Mathematics under either theCC BY 4.0orCC BY-NC-SA 4.0. For further information, contact Illustrative Mathematics.
Modified by Fishtank Learning, Inc.
Problem Set
Problem Set
Answer Keys
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Discussion of Problem Set
- How are the rectangles in #2(b) and #2(c) the same? How are they different?
- How are the rectangles in #2(a) and #4(a) the same? How are they different?
- Which rectangle in #4 has the biggest area? How do you know?
- How did you find the areas of the shapes in #6? What made Part (b) particularly challenging?
Target Task
A task that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
Problem 1
Which rectangle has an area of 24 square units?
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Problem 2
Myra tiled this figure with unit squares.
What is the area of the figure?
Student Response
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
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Additional Practice
The Extra Practice Problems can be used as additional practice for homework, during an intervention block, etc. Daily Word Problems and Fluency Activities are aligned to the content of the unit but not necessarily to the lesson objective, therefore feel free to use them anytime during your school day.
Extra Practice Problems
Extra Practice Problems
Answer Keys
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Word Problems and Fluency Activities
Word Problems and Fluency Activities
Help students strengthen their application and fluency skills with daily word problem practice and content-aligned fluency activities.
Lesson 2
Lesson 4
