3rd Grade Area of Rectangles in Real Life Worksheet: 3 Word Problems

Area is not only squares on a grid. This 3rd grade area of rectangles in real life worksheet has three word problems about a yard, a TV screen and a photo frame. Your child reads each story, finds the length and the width, and multiplies them. Each problem sits on a large grid, so there is plenty of room for a quick sketch. Page two is the answer key, and it draws every rectangle, writes length times width and gives the area in square feet or square inches. As a result, you can check the method as well as the final number.

The three answers, checked one by one

We checked the three answers, and they are right. The yard is 30 × 20, so 600 square feet, and the TV screen is 32 × 24, which gives 768 square inches. The photo frame is 3 × 8, so 24 square feet.

The key has a few typos, though. On problem 2, it says "ins 768 square inche" instead of "is 768 square inches". The story also says "a LED TV", where "an LED TV" reads better. On problem 3, the key calls 3 feet the length and 8 feet the width. That is fine, because the order of the sides does not change the area.

At the table: sketch, multiply, label

Ask your child to draw each rectangle first and to write the two numbers on its sides. Then they multiply length by width and add the unit: square feet for the yard and the frame, square inches for the screen.

A word on the level. Problem 3 is a simple fact, 3 × 8, so it is right on level for grade 3. Problem 1 uses multiples of 10, which third graders also practice. However, problem 2 asks for 32 × 24, a 2-digit by 2-digit product. That goes beyond the grade 3 standard 3.OA.7, which stops at products within 100. So your child may split it: 30 × 24 is 720, and 2 × 24 is 48, so the total is 768. You can also solve this one together.

After the page: measure a real rectangle

Find a rectangle at home, such as a door mat, a table top or a book cover. Measure it in inches with a ruler, then round the sides to whole inches and ask your child to find the area. Then make up a story problem together, just like the ones on the page. Finally, swap roles, because your child writes the problem and you solve it.