A focused Grade 3 learning session for Covering Shapes with Unit Squares using visual models, worked examples, strategy guidance, and a short mastery check.
Student goal: I can cover a shape with unit squares to measure its area.
Covering Shapes with Unit Squares means measuring how much flat space a figure covers by using equal-sized square units.
Question: Look at this rectangle covered exactly by unit squares: Count the unit squares. What is the area?
Why it works: Count the rows: \(3\) rows. Count across: \(4\) unit squares per row. Total: \(3 \times 4 = 12\) unit squares cover the rectangle, so area is \(12\) square units.
Answer: \(12\) sq units
Question: Here is a shape made of unit squares arranged in a grid. The shape has \(8\) unit squares. What is the area?
Answer: \(8\) sq units
Question: Ben's garden is a rectangle. Looking at this grid, each square is one unit square tile: How many unit square tiles does Ben need to cover his garden?
Answer: \(18\) tiles
Question: A rectangle is made of \(4\) rows of unit squares. The total area is \(24\) square units. Look at the grid: How many unit squares are in each row?
Why it works: Count one row of unit squares: \(6\) squares. Check: \(4\) rows \(\times\) \(6\) per row \(= 24\) total. So there are \(6\) unit squares in each row.
Answer: \(6\) unit squares per row
Covering Shapes with Unit Squares becomes easier when students connect the question to a model, use clear steps, and explain why the answer fits.
Area means every square unit inside the figure.
Use scratch paper. The explanation matters more than simply seeing whether the choice is correct.
Look at this rectangle covered exactly by unit squares: Count the unit squares. What is the area?
Answer B: \(12\) sq units
Count the rows: \(3\) rows. Count across: \(4\) unit squares per row. Total: \(3 \times 4 = 12\) unit squares cover the rectangle, so area is \(12\) square units.
Here is a rectangle with \(5\) unit squares across and \(4\) unit squares down: If you count all the unit squares, how many are there?
Answer C: \(20\) unit squares
Count the rows: \(4\) rows with \(5\) unit squares in each row. Total: \(5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20\) unit squares. Area is \(20\) square units.
Here is a shape made of unit squares arranged in a grid. The shape has \(8\) unit squares. What is the area?
Answer B: \(8\) sq units
Counting the \(8\) unit squares in the grid gives an area of \(8\) square units.
Ben's garden is a rectangle. Looking at this grid, each square is one unit square tile: How many unit square tiles does Ben need to cover his garden?
Answer B: \(18\) tiles
Count the rows: \(3\) rows. Count across each row: \(6\) tiles. Total: \(6 + 6 + 6 = 18\) unit square tiles are needed.
Maya is laying square tiles on her kitchen floor. The floor is shaped like a large square with \(6\) tiles along one edge. Here is the layout: How many square tiles cover the entire floor?
Answer C: \(36\) tiles
Count the rows: \(6\) rows. Count down: \(6\) tiles in each row. Total: \(6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 36\) square tiles.
Look at this rectangle made of unit squares: How many unit squares are there?
Answer C: \(15\) unit squares
Counting rows and columns: \(5\) units wide and \(3\) units tall gives \(5 \times 3 = 15\) unit squares.
Mia covers a \(2\) by \(8\) rectangle with unit square tiles. Here is the grid: Count the unit squares. How many are there?
Answer B: \(16\) unit squares
Count the rows: \(2\) rows. Count across: \(8\) unit squares per row. Total: \(8 + 8 = 16\) unit squares cover the rectangle.
Noah is tiling a floor. He needs to cover a space that is \(6\) units long and \(5\) units wide. Here is the layout: How many unit square tiles does Noah need?
Answer C: \(30\) tiles
Count the rows: \(5\) rows. Count across: \(6\) tiles in each row. Total: \(6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 = 30\) unit square tiles are needed.
A rectangle is made of \(4\) rows of unit squares. The total area is \(24\) square units. Look at the grid: How many unit squares are in each row?
Answer C: \(6\) unit squares per row
Count one row of unit squares: \(6\) squares. Check: \(4\) rows \(\times\) \(6\) per row \(= 24\) total. So there are \(6\) unit squares in each row.
Eli's rectangular carpet is \(9\) units long and \(3\) units wide. Here is the grid: Count all the unit squares. What is the area?
Answer C: \(27\) sq units
Count the rows: \(3\) rows. Count across: \(9\) unit squares per row. Total: \(9 + 9 + 9 = 27\) square units cover the carpet.
A square garden is covered with unit square tiles. Each side of the garden is \(5\) units long. How many unit square tiles are needed?
Answer A: \(25\) tiles
\(5 \times 5 = 25\) unit square tiles.
