3rd grade · Math · Unit 9 of 14
Area & Perimeter
Around and inside shapes
What your child practices
Finding the perimeter (distance around) of rectangles and triangles, finding a missing side, and measuring area in square centimeters and square meters.
Alaska content standards learning standard: 3.MD.7; 3.MD.8; 3.MD.9; 3.MD.10 · measuring area with unit squares, relating area to multiplication, and solving perimeter problems
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Perimeter is the distance around a shape. Add all sides.
- Area is the space inside. Count the square units.
- Perimeter uses cm. Area uses square cm.
Example: A rectangle is 5 cm long and 3 cm wide. What is its perimeter? Add all four sides: 5 + 3 + 5 + 3. That is 16 cm. Answer: 16 cm
Area & Perimeter in Alaska
In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 9 of 14 in 3rd grade Math, after Round & Count and before Sorting Polygons.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
A rectangle is 7 cm long and 5 cm wide. What is its area, in square centimeters?
- 35
- 40
- 29
35
Hint: Area = length × width.
Question 2
Which rectangle has the same area as a 4 by 5 rectangle?
- 5 by 5
- 1 by 20
- 1 by 21
1 by 20
Hint: Work out the area of each rectangle. Look for the same answer.
Question 3
Which unit is best for the area of a soccer field?
- meters
- square meters
- square centimeters
square meters
Hint: A field is big, so use a big unit. Area uses square units.
Question 4
A rectangle has a perimeter of 24 cm. It is 9 cm long. How wide is it, in centimeters?
- 9
- 3
- 5
3
Hint: Half the perimeter is length + width. Take away the length.
Question 5
A rectangle is 5 cm long and 3 cm wide. What is its area, in square centimeters?
- 14
- 15
- 16
15
Hint: Area = length × width.
Question 6
Each square is 1 square centimeter. What is the area, in square centimeters?
🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦- 6
- 5
- 4
6
Hint: Count the squares, or multiply rows by columns.