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Year 5

Measure the area of flat shapes using square centimetres

I can measure the area of shapes using square centimetres.

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New
New
Year 5

Measure the area of flat shapes using square centimetres

I can measure the area of shapes using square centimetres.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Area can be measured in square centimetres.
  2. You write square centimetres as cm²
  3. Fractions of square centimetres can be added to make whole square centimetres.

Common misconception

Some pupils count fractions of a square, such as a right-angles triangle, as a whole square unit.

Cut out the shape to show that two ‘parts’ of a square sometimes go together to make a complete square unit.

Keywords

  • Square centimetres - Square centimetres are the area equal to a square that is one centimetre on each side.

  • Rectilinear - A rectilinear shape is a 2D shape with straight sides and right angles.

A useful way to give pupils an idea of the magnitude of a square metre when compared with a squared centimetre is placing a 1 cm cube inside four metre sticks put together to make a square shape.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
To which mathematical term does this definition belong?   is the measurement of a flat surface. It measures a 2D space.  
Correct answer: Area 
Perimeter 
Polygon 
Ruler
Q2.
Which shape is most commonly used to measure area?
Triangle
Rectangle
Correct answer: Square
Circle
Q3.
What is the missing number?   6, 12, 18, , 30 
Correct Answer: 24, twenty four
Q4.
Order the following units of length from smallest to largest
1 - mm
2 - cm
3 - m
4 - km
Q5.
Match the image with the correct description.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:rectangle,b

b

Correct Answer:rectilinear,c

c

Correct Answer:non-rectilinear,a

a

Q6.
Match the shapes with their correct areas in square units.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:7 cm²,b

b

Correct Answer:12 cm²,a

a

Correct Answer:8 cm²,c

c

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Order the following areas from largest to smallest.
1 - square km
2 - square m
3 - square cm
4 - square mm
Q2.
Match the item with the square unit that would be the most useful for finding its area.
Correct Answer:square km,a small town

a small town

Correct Answer:square mm,the surface of a daisy petal

the surface of a daisy petal

Correct Answer:square m,the floor in a bathroom

the floor in a bathroom

Correct Answer:square cm,a phone screen

a phone screen

Q3.
Which of these is another way of writing 'square centimetres'?
2 cm
Correct answer: cm²
cm2
Q4.
Which of these is the best estimate for the area of the front of a note book?
10,000 cm²
10 cm²
1,000 cm²
Correct answer: 100 cm²
Q5.
What is the area of this shape? cm²
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 20 , 20 cm², 20 square centimetres, twenty
Q6.
What is the area of this shape? cm²
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: 25, 25 cm², 25 square centimetres, twenty five