Tile it before you multiply
Give kids sticky notes or square tiles and ask them to cover a book cover with no gaps or overlaps. Count the tiles together. Real tiles make "square units" mean something before kids ever write a number sentence.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withFinding the Area in Square Units WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →























