3rd Grade Math Centers

Build Rectangles of Two Colors

Materials: color tiles

1. Make a rectangle with 2 rows of 5 tiles. Next, make an adjoining rectangle with
   2 rows of 3 tiles using tiles of a different color.


2. Draw an area model to show the figure. Write a multiplication equation for
   each rectangle.


3. Find the total area of the large rectangle by adding the areas of the two
   smaller rectangles.


4. Build other rectangles by joining two smaller rectangles made from tiles of
   two colors. Sketch each rectangle and find the total area.

Rectangle 1: 5 x 6 = 30

Rectangle 2: 5 x 3 = 15

30 + 15 = 45 square units

5 x 6 5 x 3

Example: