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In This Unit of Study…

Students will explore another attribute of plane figures, area.  Area tells how much of a surface is covered, measured in square units.  The area of a figure is the number of same-sized square units that cover the figure without gaps or overlaps.  Students’ initial experiences with area are meant to help them visualize the concept as they explore finding areas by counting the number of square tiles that cover rectangular regions. Problems with real-world contexts help students understand applications of area in our lives, such as how much carpet or tile is needed to cover a floor.  Exploring area through problems allows students to practice their measurement skills as well as develop a deeper understanding of when and how area is used. As students investigate the areas of various rectangular figures, they gather and observe data that lead them to insights about the connection between multiplication and area.  Without being told formulas, students are able to determine shortcuts for finding area without counting every square and are able to explain and prove this insight.

B.E.S.T. Benchmarks:

  • MA.3.GR.2.1 Explore area as an attribute of a two-dimensional figure by covering the figure with unit squares without gaps or overlaps. Find areas of rectangles by counting unit squares.
  • MA.3.GR.2.2 Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths using a visual model and a multiplication formula.
  • MA.3.GR.2.3 Solve mathematical and real-world problems involving the perimeter and area of rectangles with whole-number side lengths using a visual model and a formula.
  • MA.3.GR.2.4 Solve mathematical and real-world problems involving the perimeter and area of composite figures composed of non-overlapping rectangles with whole-number side lengths.
  • MA.3.NSO.2.4: Multiply two whole numbers from 0 to 12 and divide using related facts with procedural reliability. 
  • MA.3.AR.1.1: Apply the distributive property to multiply a one-digit number and two-digit numbers. Apply properties of multiplication to find a product of one-digit whole numbers.  

Overarching Key Concepts:

  • Explore area and measure it by couting squares
  • Connect arrays and multiplication to find the area of a rectangle
  • Model and apply the distributive property of multiplication to rectangles
  • Apply the Distributive property to decompose and find the area of composite figures