3.MD.7d: Recognizing Area as Additive

Challenge Worksheet
I can recognize area as additive and find areas of rectilinear figures.

Problem 1

Design a house floor plan using 5 rectangles with a total area of exactly 200 square meters. Show your work.

Problem 2

Explain why area is additive. Use examples to show how breaking shapes into parts helps find total area.

Problem 3

A complex shape can be divided into rectangles in multiple ways. Show 3 different ways and verify the same total.

Problem 4

Create a word problem involving additive area that requires finding the area of at least 4 different rectangles.

Problem 5

Investigate: When you subtract one rectangle from another, how do you find the remaining area? Give examples.

Problem 6

Design a playground layout using rectangular sections. Calculate total area and explain your design reasoning.

Problem 7

Analyze this problem: A 10×8 rectangle has a 3×2 rectangle removed. Find the remaining area two different ways.

Problem 8

Compare these methods for finding area of complex shapes: addition vs. subtraction. When is each better?

Problem 9

Create a real-world scenario where understanding additive area is essential. Solve your problem completely.

Problem 10

Explain how the additive property of area connects to the distributive property in multiplication. Give examples.