Lesson 6

Different Square Units (Part 1)

Lesson Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for students to learn that there are different units that can be used to measure area, specifically square centimeters and square inches.

Lesson Narrative

In previous lessons, students learned the meaning of area and measured area in square units. In this lesson, students work with standard units of area, based on linear measurement units they worked with in grade 2. Students consider the difference in size between the same amount of square inches and square centimeters, then they measure the area of a rectangle with both square inches and square centimeters.

  • Action and Expression
  • MLR8

Learning Goals

Teacher Facing

  • Describe square units based on different linear units of measurement.
  • Use square inches and square centimeters to measure the area of a rectangle.

Student Facing

  • Let’s learn about different units we can use to measure area.

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Materials to Copy

  • Same Rectangle, Different Units

Required Preparation

Activity 2:

  • Prepare additional copies of the grids from Same Rectangles, Different Units so students can have a fresh copy to measure the area of the square.
  • Have patty paper available, in case requested.

CCSS Standards

Addressing

Lesson Timeline

Warm-up 10 min
Activity 1 15 min
Activity 2 20 min
Lesson Synthesis 10 min
Cool-down 5 min

Teacher Reflection Questions

What question do you wish you had asked today? When and why should you have asked it?

Suggested Centers

  • Capture Squares (1–3), Stage 6: Multiply with 1–5 (Addressing)
  • Rectangle Rumble (3–5), Stage 1: Factors 1, 2, 5, and 10 (Addressing)
  • Five in a Row: Addition and Subtraction (1–2), Stage 6: Add within 100 with Composing (Supporting)

Print Formatted Materials

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Additional Resources

Google Slides

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PowerPoint Slides

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