Area of a Shape

Zuri and Freddie have been playing BlockBuilders on an old computer they found in the landfill. After building with blocks, they are curious to know who's world is larger. In order to determine which structures are larger, they will need to calculate their area or the size of the surface. Let's help them measure the area using unit squares. "Area of a Shape Using Unit Squares" Area is the amount of space a figure takes up on a flat surface. We can determine the area of a figure using unit squares. Unit squares measure one unit in length on each side. This means the space they take up measures one square unit of area. We can lay unit squares side by side, without spaces or overlaps, across the entire surface of a figure. This measures the amount of space it takes up. To calculate the total area, you need to count each unit square. We can use this same strategy to determine the area for Zuri and Freddie's builds. They want to compare the areas of the houses, pools and playgrounds they built. Let's begin by counting all the unit squares within the floor plan of Zuri's house. We start in one corner and carefully count each square: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty! Zuri's house is twenty square units. Let's count the floor plan of Freddie's house now. Ready? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen! Freddie's house is seventeen square units. So, the area of his house is a little smaller than Zuri's. Now let's calculate the areas of their pools! How do we determine the area of Zuri's pool? We count all the unit squares within the figure. Ready? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen. Zuri's pool is fourteen square units. How do we determine the area of Freddie's pool? We count all the unit squares within the rectangle. Let's count: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four! Freddie's pool is twenty-four square units. So, Freddie has the larger pool. Finally, they want to compare the area of their playgrounds. How do we determine the area of Zuri's playground? We count all the unit squares within the floorplan. Ready? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen! The area of Zuri's playground measures fourteen square units! How do we determine the area of Freddie's playground? We count all the unit squares within the figure. Ready? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen. Freddie's playground also measures fourteen square units. Even though their playgrounds are different shapes, they still have the same area! Before Zuri and Freddie compare their worlds, let's review! Remember, area is the amount of space a figure takes up on a flat surface. We can find the area of a figure using unit squares. These are boxes that measure one unit of length on each side and have an area of one square unit. We lay the unit squares side by side without spaces or overlaps across the entire surface of the figure. Then, we count all the squares to find the area. Finally, we write our total area in square units. "Hmmm, so who do you think made bigger stuff?" "Well it looks like…hey, what happened?!" "Bummer! I guess we'll have to start all over. " “But, we can work together this time!"