Mathematics·Measurement·representational
Area and the distributive property
Use tiling to demonstrate the distributive property: the area of a rectangle with sides a and (b+c) equals a×b + a×c; use area models to represent the distributive property
Suggested ages 8–9
Learning journey
Your child is learning to measure the world around them — calculating areas and perimeters, converting between different units like metres and kilometres, and solving time problems using both analogue and digital clocks.
Evidence of understanding
- Tile a 3×(4+2) rectangle and show it decomposes into 3×4 and 3×2
- Use an area model to compute 6×13 as 6×10 + 6×3
- Draw an area model showing 5×(7+3) = 5×7 + 5×3
Assessment prompt
If Area and the distributive property wants to work out 6 × 13 by splitting it into 6 × 10 and 6 × 3, can they draw a rectangle divided into two parts to show why that method works?
Standards alignment
No external standards are linked to this topic.