Area of compound shapes

MathematicsMeasurementAges 8–9

Recognise area as additive; find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing into non-overlapping rectangles and summing their areas

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“If your child is given an L-shaped room on squared paper, can they split it into two rectangles, find the area of each part, and add them to get the total area?”

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Activity. Recognise area as additive; find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing into non-overlapping rectangles and summing their areas

What to notice. Decompose an L-shape into two rectangles, find each area, and add them • Find the area of a floor plan shaped like a T by splitting into rectangles • Solve: A room is L-shaped (3m×5m plus 2m×4m) — what is the total area?

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If your child is given an L-shaped room on squared paper, can they split it into two rectangles, find the area of each part, and add them to get the total area?

Recognise area as additive; find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing into non-overlapping rectangles and summing their areas

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Decompose an L-shape into two rectangles, find each area, and add them
Find the area of a floor plan shaped like a T by splitting into rectangles
Solve: A room is L-shaped (3m×5m plus 2m×4m) — what is the total area?