Skill: Estimate area

Area tells how much surface a region covers. To estimate area, imagine covering the region with equal square units. Count the whole squares and combine partial squares to make whole squares.

Example: A shape is drawn on a grid. Each grid square is $1$ square meter.

1. Count the squares that are completely inside the shape. There are $14$ whole squares.
2. Look at the pieces along the edges:
   • Four pieces are about half of a square:

$$4 \times \frac{1}{2}=2\text{ squares}$$

• Two pieces are about one-fourth of a square:

$$2 \times \frac{1}{4}=\frac{1}{2}\text{ square}$$

3. Add the whole squares and the estimated partial squares:

$$14+2+\frac{1}{2}=16\frac{1}{2}$$

The shape covers about

$$\boxed{16\frac{1}{2}\text{ square meters}}$$

This is an estimate because the edge pieces are not exact whole squares. Remember that area measures the surface inside a shape, not the distance around its boundary.