Counting squares to find area

Mathematics · Measurement · ages 8-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

This grid is covered with unit squares, with no gaps or overlaps. What is its area?
- 5 square units
- 6 square units
- 7 square units
12 square tiles cover a tray with no gaps. What is the area of the tray?
- 12 square units
- 12 units
- 6 square units
- 24 square units
A shape is covered by 12 unit squares with no gaps or overlaps. What is its area in square units?
Answer: ______________
What is the area of a single unit square?
- 1 square unit
- 2 square units
- 1 unit
Which measurement tells you how many unit squares cover a shape?
- Area
- Perimeter
- Length
A rectangle is covered by 9 unit squares with no gaps or overlaps. What is its area?
- 9 units
- 3 square units
- 9 square units
A shape has area 24 square units and perimeter 24 units. The numbers match, but which statement is true?
- Area and perimeter measure different things
- Area is always the bigger number
- Perimeter is always the bigger number
- They must be equal
Count the unit squares covering this rectangle. Type the area in square units.
Answer: ______________
Zoe says a shape covered by 10 unit squares has an area of 10 units. What mistake did she make?
- She counted the squares wrong
- She forgot to say square units
- She measured the perimeter instead
Rectangle A is covered by 12 unit squares. Rectangle B has a longer distance around its edge but is covered by only 8 unit squares. Which rectangle has the greater area?
- Rectangle B
- They have the same area
- Rectangle A

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

6 square units · Count every unit square: 2 rows of 3 makes 6 square units.
12 square units · 12 tiles with no gaps is an area of 12 square units.
12 · 12 unit squares with no gaps means an area of 12 square units.
1 square unit · A unit square is defined to have an area of exactly 1 square unit.
Area · Area counts the covering squares. Perimeter measures the distance around the edge instead.
9 square units · Each unit square is worth 1 square unit, so 9 squares make 9 square units.
Area and perimeter measure different things · Area counts inside squares; perimeter walks the edge. Different jobs, sometimes different numbers.
12 · 3 rows of 4 unit squares makes 12 square units in total.
She forgot to say square units · Area needs the word square in the unit, because we are counting unit squares, not just any units.
Rectangle A · Area depends on how many unit squares cover the shape, not on the distance around the edge. Rectangle A has more unit squares, so it has the greater area.