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Number Trail Grade 3 / Week 11 / Monday
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Week 11 · Area and perimeter

Monday

Cover it with squares
// Cover it with squares, walk around the edge
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: Cover it with squares

Hazel the Hedgehog is sewing a quilt for her cozy den.

She lays out square patches on the floor, row by row.

"How many patches will cover my whole quilt?" she wonders.

Bennie the Bear kneels beside her.

"That number is the area," he says. "Count the squares that cover it."

"No gaps and no overlaps," Hazel adds, smoothing a patch flat.

Learn it: area is counted in unit squares

Area is how much flat space a shape covers.

A unit square has sides 1 unit long. It covers 1 square unit.

To find area, cover the shape with unit squares. Leave no gaps or overlaps.

A rectangle of unit squares, three rows of four

Hazel counts her quilt: 3 rows of 4 squares.

4 + 4 + 4 = 12. The area is 12 square units.

COUNT THE UNIT SQUARES
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A rectangle of unit squares, three rows of fourHow many unit squares cover this rectangle?
A rectangle of unit squares, two rows of fiveHow many unit squares cover this rectangle?
A rectangle of unit squares, four rows of fourHow many unit squares cover this rectangle?
A rectangle of unit squares, three rows of sixHow many unit squares cover this rectangle?
A rectangle of unit squares, five rows of twoHow many unit squares cover this rectangle?

Learn it: square units have names

A square with 1 centimeter sides covers 1 square centimeter.

There are square inches, square feet and square meters too.

Small shapes use small square units. Big spaces use big square units.

PICK THE SQUARE UNIT
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which unit fits the area of a sticker?
Which unit fits the area of a playground?
Which unit fits the area of a bedroom floor?
Which unit fits the area of a book cover?
COUNT THE ROWS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
A patch has 3 rows of 5 squares. What is its area in square units?
A mat has 2 rows of 6 squares. What is its area in square units?
A rug has 5 rows of 4 squares. What is its area in square units?
FIND THE AREA OF A QUILT
  • Think about how Hazel finds area.
  • Tap the steps in order.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last
SentenceTrue or false?
Area is the flat space a shape covers.?
Unit squares may overlap when we find area.?
A unit square covers 1 square unit.?
4 + 4 + 4 = 12?
WHY THIS EXERCISEUnit squares never overlap, and they leave no gaps.
Try it
Cut a sheet of paper into small squares that are all the same size.
Cover a book with the squares, with no gaps or overlaps.
Count the squares. That is the area in your square units.
Draw a rectangle on grid paper with an area of 12 square units.

Lovely quilting! Tomorrow Hazel finds area with multiplication.