Lesson 1 What is Area?

    • Let’s compare the size of shapes.

Warm-up How Many Do You See: Arrays

How many do you see? How do you see them?

  1. A group of dots.
  2. A group of dots with 4 rows of 3.
  3. 4 rows of 5 dots.

Activity 1 Compare Shapes

Problem 1

Here are two triangles. Which triangle is larger?

Two triangles. Left, shorter but longer. Right, taller but shorter. 

Problem 2

In each pair of shapes, which shape is larger? Be prepared to explain your reasoning.

  1. Two ovals. Left, smaller oval. Right, larger oval.
  2. Left, hexagon. Right, triangle. Triangle less than half size of hexagon.
  3. 2 rectangles. If cut up, rectangle on right could fit inside rectangle on left.

Activity 2 Pattern Blocks to Compare Shapes

Picture of pattern blocks.

Your teacher will give you handouts with some shapes on them.

Use pattern blocks to decide which shape covers the most space. Be ready to explain your reasoning.

Practice Problem

Problem 1

Which shape is the largest? Which shape is the smallest? Explain your reasoning. You may trace and cut out the shapes if it is helpful.

3 shapes labeled A, B, and C.