By Angela Howard

What is Area?

Area is the number of unit squares that cover the surface of a closed figure. Translated for second graders, area is the amount of space inside a shape.

Students in Mrs. Guel’s 2nd Grade Math classes at Westwind Elementary went on a scavenger hunt for marked figures around the school. When they discovered a marked figure, they had to first decide if it was an open or closed figure. If it was an open figure, they pointed out the difference between columns which stand up straight and rows which are horizontal. (One way they remembered the difference was think of theater seats that are in rows.) If the figure was closed, they measured the area of the figure by counting the squares. They documented their measurement on their clipboard.

This is a great example of the “engage” portion of the TIGERS Learning Framework. Click here for more information about the TIGERS Learning Framework instructional model.