The area of a shape is the amount of space it takes up.

When area is first taught, we look at the number of squares a shape covers. For example:

The pink square takes up 9 squares.

The blue triangle takes up 6 full squares and 4 half squares which totals 8 squares altogether.

The purple shape takes up 14 squares.

As learning progresses we learn that for squares and rectangles, we can measure the length and width, then multiply these together to calculate the area.

The pink square is 3cm by 3cm. 3 x 3 = 9. We write this as 9cm². The small number ² is read as “squared“.

 

To find the area of a triangle, multiply the width by the height and half your answer. This blue triangle is 4cm in height and has a width of 4cm. 4×4=16. We half this to find the area. Half of 16 is 8 so the area is 8cm².

 

More complex shapes like the purple one can be broken down into separate smaller rectangles. The top six squares form a 3×2 rectangle leaving a 4×2 rectangle at the bottom. We find the area of both rectangles and add them together.

3×2 = 6cm²; 4×2 = 8cm²

6+8 = 14cm²

 

CURRICULUM LINK:

I can estimate the area
of a shape by counting
squares or other
methods.
MNU 1-11b