Filling Shapes with Squares: A Fun Way to Count!

Math Grades 1st Grade 1:30 Video
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Lesson Description

Learn how to fill rectangles and squares with smaller squares and count how many fit! This lesson helps us understand shapes and practice counting.

Video Resource

Filling rectangles with squares | Geometry | Early Math | Khan Academy

Khan Academy

Duration: 1:30
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Shapes (Rectangles and Squares)
  • Counting
  • Filling Space

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to count the number of squares that fill a rectangle.
  • Students will be able to understand that smaller squares can fill a larger square or rectangle.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students what shapes they know. Show them a rectangle and a square and have them identify each one. Explain that today they will be learning how to fill these shapes with smaller squares.
  • Watch the Video (5 mins)
    Play the Khan Academy video "Filling rectangles with squares" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0B1IyDeNLI). Encourage students to watch carefully and count along with the video.
  • Guided Practice (10 mins)
    After the video, draw a rectangle on the board. Start filling it with squares, and ask students to count along with you. Then, have them come up and draw the remaining squares to fill the rectangle.
  • Independent Practice (10 mins)
    Provide students with worksheets that have pre-drawn rectangles and squares. Have them draw lines to create more squares within the rectangle to fill it completely. Then, have them count the total number of squares and write the number below the rectangle.
  • Wrap-up (5 mins)
    Review the lesson by asking students what they learned about filling shapes with squares. Ask them to share their worksheets and count the squares in each other's rectangles.

Interactive Exercises

  • Shape Filling Game
    Use square tiles or blocks and have students fill pre-drawn rectangles and squares. Count the number of tiles needed to fill each shape.

Discussion Questions

  • What shapes did we learn about today?
  • How did we fill the big shapes?
  • Why is it important that the small squares don't overlap?

Skills Developed

  • Counting
  • Spatial Reasoning
  • Shape Recognition

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What shape is this?

Correct Answer: Square

Question 2:

What shape is this?

Correct Answer: Rectangle

Question 3:

How do we fill the big shapes in this lesson?

Correct Answer: With squares

Question 4:

What do we do after we fill the shape?

Correct Answer: Count the squares

Question 5:

If a rectangle has 4 squares, and we add 2 more, how many squares are there?

Correct Answer: 6

Question 6:

What is one thing we learned today?

Correct Answer: About filling shapes

Question 7:

What is it called when the squares are next to each other?

Correct Answer: Filling

Question 8:

What color was the rectangle at the start of the video?

Correct Answer: Yellow

Question 9:

What should you do to make sure you count correctly?

Correct Answer: Point to each one

Question 10:

What happens if the squares overlap?

Correct Answer: You can't count correctly

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

We fill the rectangle with small ___________.

Correct Answer: squares

Question 2:

We ___________ the squares after we fill the shape.

Correct Answer: count

Question 3:

A rectangle has four ___________.

Correct Answer: sides

Question 4:

A square has four sides that are the ___________ size.

Correct Answer: same

Question 5:

If you have 3 squares and add 1 more, you will have ___________ squares.

Correct Answer: 4

Question 6:

When filling the rectangle with squares, they shouldn't __________.

Correct Answer: overlap

Question 7:

This lesson helps us learn about shapes and ___________.

Correct Answer: counting

Question 8:

If a shape is already partly filled, you should keep __________ until it is full.

Correct Answer: filling

Question 9:

In the video, there was a yellow __________ at the start.

Correct Answer: rectangle

Question 10:

Drawing more equal shares creates ___________ shares.

Correct Answer: smaller

Educational Standards

CCSS.Math.Content.1.G.A.3:Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters, and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of the shares. Understand for these examples that decomposing into more equal shares creates smaller shares. CCSS.Math.Content.1.OA.C.5:Relate counting to addition and subtraction (e.g., by counting on 2 to add 2). CCSS.Math.Content.1.MD.A.2:Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps. Limit to contexts where the object being measured is spanned by a whole number of length units with no gaps or overlaps.

Teaching Materials

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