Area 1

The first instance of Area 1 is under the 3rd grade (U.S.) Math Mission. This exercise introduces students to the idea of area.

Types of Problems

There are two types of problems in this exercise:

1. Find area of the shape: This problem has a shape pictured and the student is to give the area of the shape.

   

   Find area of shape

2. Find area on a grid: This problem has a nonstandard polygon drawn on a grid and the student is supposed to use the underlying grid to find the area of the object in square units.

   

   Find area on grid

Strategies

This exercise is easy to get accuracy badges because the areas are either easy by formula or involve counting (research indicates no counting past twenty so far). The speed badges might be considered medium because although the first problem type goes quickly, the second type can sometimes take a couple extra seconds.

1. On problem type one research indicates the shape will only be a rectangle, so you can just multiply the two dimensions together since $A = lw$ is the formula for the area of a rectangle. (A square is a special case of a rectangle)
2. On the second type of problem you can save a little time if you mentally cut the shape into pieces, for example a square and a rectangle.

Real-life Applications

1. Area and perimeter are used in many jobs for architecture and interior design.
2. The ancient Egyptians from over 4000 years ago were very good at shapes and geometry. Every time the Nile burst its banks and flooded the planes, they had to use geometry to measure their gardens and fields all over again.